A new four-year, $9 million Critical Materials Processing program has been launched to strengthen the United States' defense industrial base and reduce reliance on foreign adversaries for vital advanced materials. The advanced manufacturing research and development initiative will be led by LIFT, a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute based in Detroit, MI.
The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Defense's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program and focuses on advancing technology readiness and commercialization of ceramics, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), and ultra-high-temperature materials critical to national defense applications.
Strengthening America's Advanced Materials Ecosystem
The program's technical strategy brings together experts from government, industry, and academia to accelerate the commercialization and scale-up of critical ceramic technologies.
Government partners include the Air Force Research Laboratory, while industry collaborators include:
- Exothermics
- Kratos SRE
- Materials Research & Design.
Together, these partners are advancing initiatives, including:
- Solid-state ceramic batteries
- Onshoring and scaling carbon fiber production, a critical precursor material used in defense protection systems and ceramic matrix composites that currently has limited domestic supply
- Ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites designed for extreme operating environments.
"Ceramic-based materials hold enormous promise for solving some of the most complex challenges facing our nation's industrial base, including materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and harsh environments," said Nigel Francis, CEO and Executive Director of LIFT. "Despite this potential, the United States currently lacks a coordinated effort focused on scaling ceramic technologies from research to commercialization. Through this program, LIFT is uniquely positioned to help bridge that gap."
Accelerating Commercialization and Domestic Production
In addition to advancing materials science, the initiative will focus on:
- Developing prototype solutions to accelerate ultra-high-temperature CMC production
- Integrating industry, academic, and community partners
- Conducting a national gap analysis of ceramic manufacturing capabilities
- Identifying modeling and simulation tools to improve development cycles
- Advancing cross-industry manufacturing standards.
To rapidly scale production, the program is prioritizing advanced manufacturing processes such as compression molding and resin transfer molding, along with high-pressure resin injection techniques designed to accelerate impregnation and curing of CMC preform layups.
By strengthening domestic manufacturing of ceramics and advanced materials, the Critical Materials Processing program aims to enhance national security, rebuild resilient U.S. supply chains, and create high-quality American manufacturing jobs, while ensuring the defense sector has secure and reliable access to mission-critical materials.
For more information contact:
LIFT
1400 Rosa Parks Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48216
313-309-9003
www.lift.technology