A team of UW and Boeing researchers in the Boeing Advanced Research Center (BARC) have received $1.2 million in Energy RD&D Clean Energy funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce. The team is one of ten selected this year out of 52 total applicants.

The RD&D (Research, Development and Demonstration) program supports statewide research institutions, organizations and technology companies pursuing clean energy projects in Washington. The award will allow BARC researchers to advance their work to make composites manufacturing economically viable by ensuring better quality, lower energy costs, and waste and scrap minimization. Specifically, the team’s project, which is led by ME professor and BARC director Santosh Devasia, will demonstrate how to predictably design and produce complex thermoplastic composite parts using automated robotic systems.

The award — along with funding from the UW and Boeing — will help lay the groundwork for a new UW Advanced Composites Center, which will bring together composites manufacturing research projects and educational efforts.