CompositesWorld
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93 CompositesWorld.com NEWS N E W S N S N E W S E N W S W Materials Sciences Corp. "Te structural low-insertion-loss mate- rials are being developed now as our next commercial products." Te technology is made possible, he adds, by two things: Development of constituent theories (e.g., partial diferential equations that describe the physical behavior of each compo- nent material) and the advancement of computer power. "We can now run very complex models in a matter of minutes. Tese new multifunctional composite materials are achievable today." South Carolina and beyond Technology growth — realized and poten- tial — made another facility inevitable. But why South Carolina? Cassin begins with the practical. "Tis facility belonged to a supplier with whom we developed our 3D weaving capabilities," Cassin replies. "Te building became available and it was the right timing for us." But he also credits the business climate in Greenville: "It ofers very unique access to businesses that we want to be working with, like GE, Lockheed, Boeing, BMW and Milliken." Te South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA, Columbia, SC, US) also plays a role. MSC is a member of SCRA's compos- ites consortium (TCC) and has completed several projects through the Composites Manufacturing Technology Center of Excellence (CMTC, Anderson, SC), which applies composites technologies to US Navy systems. "Tere is also real support here from the county and the state," Cassin adds. "Te Greenville Area Development Corp. was also very helpful, introducing us to suppliers and potential customers. Whenever we had a need, they did their best to connect us to resources." Cassin says this type of networking and connection to resources is vital for small businesses. "We tend to work with engineers, but they often are not the Composite Structures, Equipment, and Engineering Services Visit us at Booth # G41 automateddynamics.com +1 (518) 377-6471 Empowering the world to conceptualize, manufacture and implement advanced composite solutions. decision makers. You need a way to bridge that gap, and the folks in South Carolina understand this well, ofering real help toward commercializing new products and processes." Tat, indeed, is MSC's main priority with the Greenville facility. "Developing new material forms is a great business for MSC," says Cassin, "but for us it is only the frst step. Te real payof is seeing these materials used in defense, industrial or commercial applications. Te ability to make a product perform in a completely diferent and better way is our focus." CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner has an engineering/materials background and has more than 20 years of experience in the composites industry. ginger@compositesworld.com Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/MSCTour Read more about COUNTERVAIL online in the CW Blog titled "Vibration-canceling composite technology" | short.compositesworld.com/MSCVibBlog