Hexcel Corporation, a global leader in advanced composite materials, and the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University, announced at the Paris Air Show the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as an initial step to establish the Hexcel Application Center at NIAR ATLAS in Kansas. This effort aims to broaden the development and application of composite materials in the aerospace and defense industries.

"Kansas has long been a hub for innovation, contributing significantly to the global aerospace and defense industries," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). "The collaboration between Hexcel and NIAR is a testament to our state's talented workforce and robust supply chain for aviation and defense manufacturing. This collaboration is great news for Kansas and will be a key component to advancing the technologies that will shape the future of aerospace and defense."

Once established, the new Hexcel Application Center will leverage Hexcel's expertise in composite materials and NIAR's extensive research capabilities to accelerate innovation and enhance the U.S. composite industry's competitiveness. The Hexcel Application Center aims to focus on several key areas, including automated layup and fiber placement, liquid composite molding and infusion, high-temperature carbon-based materials, advanced material processing to support high-rate manufacturing, and improved performance of carbon fiber composites.

The Hexcel Application Center will be housed within NIAR's Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems in Wichita, KS, and will include a donation of more than $10 million in state-of-the-art equipment, including an Advanced Fiber Placement (AFP) machine and an autoclave, to support collaborative research and development, thereby enabling more sophisticated and efficient composite material processing. This initiative is expected to create new opportunities for innovation, workforce development, and economic growth in the region.

"The Hexcel Application Center will represent a significant step forward in our commitment to advancing composite materials technology,” said Tom Gentile, President and CEO, Hexcel. “By combining our strengths, we can accelerate the development of innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of the aerospace and defense sectors."

“We are grateful for Hexcel’s continued support and the opportunity to expand our mutual resources to establish the Hexcel Application Center,” added John Tomblin, WSU Executive Vice President of Research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR Executive Director. "Working alongside Hexcel team members on a regular basis will greatly enhance our research capabilities and provide valuable opportunities for our students and staff to engage in cutting-edge projects that have a real-world impact."

Hexcel is uniquely positioned as the largest U.S.-based composite materials supplier and world’s largest supplier of aerospace-grade composite materials, and collaboration between NIAR and Hexcel will allow for increased research and development and prototyping efforts critical to improve value and performance on future DoD platforms and national security.

Research and development efforts through the Hexcel Application Center at NIAR ATLAS will also benefit from the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) database. NCAMP, a NIAR initiative, provides a shared repository of material property data that is critical for commercial aerospace, defense, and space applications. This database allows manufacturers to access pre-qualified material systems, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with material qualification and certification processes.