Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute begins 5-year project with U.S. Army

A Rowan University-led team will collaborate with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory and government partners on a five-year project with funding up to $36 million to develop new “super” materials and find ways to blend traditional and novel manufacturing processes using a single manufacturing platform.

Led by Joseph Stanzione III, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering and founding director of Rowan University’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), the project includes researchers at Drexel University and PPG, a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials.

Using advanced engineering optimization techniques, the project aims to revolutionize composite materials and their manufacturing processes used by the U.S. Army and its industrial base, said Stanzione. The team will work to create useful, lightweight and durable parts that can be rapidly produced. The project will involve combinations of unconventional, yet domestically sourced raw materials, convergent manufacturing methodologies and the advancement of fundamental materials science and engineering.   

“As we strive to determine underlying foundational science and engineering relationships, we intend to avoid the pitfalls of conducting studies that are academically interesting but of limited value,” Stanzione said. “That’s why we are teaming up with the Army’s subject matter experts. They will help guide the focus of our studies and ensure their maximum relevance, benefit and translation to application.” 

AMMI includes experts in materials, sustainable chemistry and engineering, geosciences, and advanced manufacturing strategies from the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and the College of Science & Mathematics. The project will involve dedicated faculty, staff, research scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, paid interns and postdoctoral fellows.

“We’ll develop the next generation of highly skilled, technical employees as a result of this collaboration,” Stanzione said. “These students would make ideal candidates for industrial and government internships and, ultimately, employment for the benefit of our Department of Defense partners.”