Peak Nanosystems LLC is working with Case Western Reserve University and the U.S. Army to develop new manufacturing approaches for high-performance, lightweight polymers.
The Army, through its Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, has committed $5.4 million over five years to Cleveland-based CWRU. That investment eventually could total $11 million. Part of that investment will be subcontracted to Peak Nanosystems' PolymerPlus LLC unit, officials with Peak Nanosystems in Coppell, Texas, said in a news release.
Peak Nanosystems acquired Valley View, Ohio-based PolymerPlus in April. PolymerPlus is a research firm founded in 2010 based on research done at CWRU. As part of the project with the Army and CWRU, PolymerPlus will develop and scale-up processing techniques for ultra-tough layered plastics created in collaboration with CWRU.
Peak Nanosystems President Chad Lewis said in the release that the partnership to advance polymer research "builds on a strong foundation of collaboration" that his firm has developed with CWRU.
The teams will work with the Army Research Laboratory, in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., to design components and new manufacturing approaches for high-performance composites. These materials have potential applications in solider-borne and transportation protection systems and weapons, officials said.
The project was supported by U.S. Congress members Tim Ryan and Marcy Kaptur. Both are members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. In the release, Kaptur cited Ohio's "storied manufacturing legacy," especially in regards to R&D of products that support national defense.