Rapid and frequent advances in fiber materials (“Moore’s law for fibers”) and fabric manufacturing processes enable, for the first-time, fabrics with sophisticated technological capabilities. AFFOA, a Manufacturing USA institute, is pleased to announce a new MicroAward pilot program designed for engaging member organizations in prototyping projects. The current focus relates to incorporating fibers with advanced capabilities produced by AFFOA into a variety of forms such as yarns, fabrics, composites using conventional industrial equipment and processes. These projects will support rapid iteration in product design and development, AFFOA roadmap execution, manufacturing readiness and scale, and will develop educational tools and the workforce. The MicroAward program aligns with AFFOA’s technology development cycle (90 days or less) and is designed to increase the swift turnaround of agreements and execution. Through working together on the fabric revolution, AFFOA and its members will transform the fabrics industry.
A MicroAward is a short duration contract with a Statement of Work for near-term deliverables to reach a defined milestone or objective. MicroAwards may serve different purposes including development, manufacturing, and education. Initially, awards will focus on advancing manufacturing readiness levels (MRL) 4-7 and are typically fixed price. They will leverage your organizations current capabilities to advance the state of advanced fibers and fabrics. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, yarn formation, textile assembly, advanced coatings, systems integration, manufacturing scaling, and testing.
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