The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) announced the winners for the Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE), sponsored by Composites One, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. ACE is a prestigious composites industry competition that recognizes outstanding achievement and innovation in design, manufacturing and market growth. The winning entries and finalists are on display in the ACE Pavilion at the fifth annual CAMX-The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, until October 18, 2018. 

In the design category, the Most Creative Application Award is presented to the composites product that showcases composites use in a unique, new application or use composites' attributes in imaginative, innovative, or artistic ways. This year, the award went to West Virginia University for developing an Energy Absorbing, Durable, Fire Resistant, Cost-effective, NextGen Composite System.

In the manufacturing category, the Equipment and Tooling Innovation Award is given to the equipment, tooling, production aid, or software that is designed to improve manufacturing production, environmental sustainability or product quality and performance in composites manufacturing. This year, the award went to Ruiz Aerospace Manufacturing for its Smart Manufacturing Helper Using Internet-of-Things and Industry 4.0.

The manufacturing category also features the Materials and Process Innovation Award, which recognizes a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability. This year, the award went to Magna Exteriors for its Torsional Welding of PDC Sensors on Thin Wall Fascia.

Finally, in the market growth category, the Infinite Possibility Award is given to the composites product that demonstrates the potential to significantly increase the use of composites in existing markets or generate the greatest impact to open new and emerging markets for composites. This year the award went to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for its Large Area 3D Printer for Thermoset Materials.

ACMA | www.acmanet.org

CAMX | www.thecamx.org