UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 34, Page 8
June 10, 1993
Workshop focuses on composites

     The Center for Composite Materials held its annual composites workshop
May 18-20, with activities at Clayton Hall and the Composites Manufacturing
Science Laboratory.
     Total attendance at the dual-session event was almost 200, including
an international slate of representatives from private companies, the U.S.
Army and other universities. Technical presentations by both academic and
industrial personnel were complemented by equipment and software demos.
     A highlight of the workshop was a keynote speech by Jon DeVault of the
Advanced Research Projects Agency, (ARPA). DeVault opened his "Overview of
the Advanced Composites Industry" by commenting that America has been far
more successful in developing composites technologies than in
commercializing them. He attributed the lag between invention and adoption
not to high material costs but to our failure to reduce manufacturing
costs.
     The federal government's new Technology Reinvestment Project (jointly
administered by ARPA and four other agencies) has the potential to boost
American industry in general through "dual-use technologies" and "defense
conversion, he said." The goal of the program is to stimulate the
development of both affordable military systems and competitive commercial
products.
     The University's center plans to team with industry in submitting
proposals to the new program.
     Prashant G. Karandikar, research associate II at CCM, served as
workshop chairperson.
                                        -Diane S. Kukich