The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is a world-leading, interdisciplinary center for research, education, and economic development encompassing material sciences, manufacturing, and engineering of composites and structures. The 100,000 ft2, ISO 17025-accredited facility offers integrated ‘Design, Manufacture, and Test’ services for composite materials and structures.

The UMaine Composites Center has the world’s largest thermoplastic 3D printer, with a 60’ x 22’ x 10’ build envelope and a fast deposition rate (>150lb/hr.) capable of fabricating low-cost tooling for thermoset composite parts. It successfully printed a 25’, 5,000 lb. marine patrol boat in less than 72 hours, winning three Guinness World Records.

The Alfond Advanced Manufacturing Lab for Structural Thermoplastics was developed to facilitate research in long-fiber reinforced thermoplastics composites. The mission of the lab is to increase the market prevalence of structural thermoplastics through demonstration of automated, advanced manufacturing techniques. The lab routinely prints molds for reverse-engineered parts to produce legacy parts. An example is the reverse engineering of an automotive rear differential cover. A 1.2lb glass TP composite replaced the original 4.2lb steel component for a 75% savings.

The UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s unique capabilities include the world’s largest 3D printing, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, and large-scale testing.