DMC is the nation’s annual forum for enhancing and leveraging the efforts of engineers, managers, technology leaders, scientists, and policy makers across the defense manufacturing industrial base. Leaders and manufacturing subject matter experts from government, industry, and academia exchange information and perspectives on defense manufacturing policies, strategic direction, best practices, funding opportunities, and the latest manufacturing innovations that will benefit our nation’s warfighters.

The annual Conference on Composites, Materials, and Structures is the preeminent export controlled and ITAR restricted forum in the United States to review and discuss advances in materials for extreme environments. The Conference started in the 1970s as a small informal gathering for government and industry to share information on programs and state-of-the-art technology. Attendance has grown to nearly 500 people while preserving this same objective to share needs and trends in high-temperature and extreme environment materials, and the latest information on advanced materials and manufacturing processes.

The five-day conference program includes two to three parallel sessions per day on topics including thermal protection materials, ceramic matrix composites, carbon-carbon materials, ballistic technologies, hypersonics, and gas turbine engines. Attendees are engineers, scientists, managers, and operational personnel from the turbine engine, aviation, missiles and space, and protective equipment communities. These communities include the Navy, Air Force, Army, MDA, NASA, DARPA, FAA, DOE, engine manufacturers, missile and aircraft manufacturers, commercial space companies, and material and component suppliers.

Calling on her skills as a designer with a keen understanding of manufacturing, Elizabeth Whelan believes her textile, Artemis, can advance seating design.  Artemis combines the function of a foam cushion with the beauty of an upholstery fabric into an inventive three-dimensional woven textile is breathable, comfortable and can be manufactured on a standard power loom.  Whelan was granted a utility patent in both the US and EU for Artemis.  She received a grant from the Maine Technology Institute to make a manufacturing trial at AFFOA. 

In this presentation, Whelan will take you through the design and development process of Artemis.  After the presentation, she will take questions from the audience and engage in discussion of design and innovation in textiles.

Elizabeth Whelan is a designer and inventor.  She is the recipient of numerous awards.  Last year she was the winner of the Rome Prize in Design at the American Academy of Rome and the Helen Adelia Metcalf Visionary Award from the Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Association.  S

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a growing concern, dominating headlines and impacting the environment. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore their implications for the textile industry at the Building a New Method Forward for PFAS in Textiles Conference, taking place April 24-25, 2025, at the StateView Hotel in Raleigh, NC. Join industry professionals to discover the latest advancements in research, technology, and legislation shaping the future of textiles.

"Additively Manufactured Micro-Lattice Dielectrics for Multiaxial Capacitive Sensors"
Arielle Berman, PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford U.

“Cephalopod-Inspired Soft Photonic Skins with Dynamic Texture and Color Control”
Siddharth Doshi, PhD Student in Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford U.

"Transparent, Patternable and Stretchable Conducting Polymer Solid Electrode for Dielectric Elastomer Actuators"
Eunyoung (Grace) Kim, PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford U.

"In-Silico EIS Characterization of Supported Lipid Bilayers on PEDOT:PSS Electrodes"
Julian Mele, Postdoctoral Scholar, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford U.

"Electrochemical Performance of PEDOT:PSS Stimulation Electrodes"
Gerwin Dijk, Postdoctoral Scholar, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford U.

Consumer demands for sustainable fashion are on the rise, requiring companies to look for more sustainable fiber choices. Two fibers often touted for their sustainability are cotton and rayon. Cotton has been a long-time staple, while rayon, newer to the industry, can now be found everywhere. Both have seen a resurgence as consumers look for fabric choices that are free of petroleum inputs, don’t contribute to micro-plastic pollution, and have highly desirable features such as comfort and dyeability. This presentation will dig deeper into each fiber, weighing the pros and cons for each, and asking if one over the other might be a new sustainability superhero.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from an expert in sustainable design, ethical consumerism, and conscious fashion development. Register now to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of sustainable textiles!

Presented by Kyvory Henderson, DTS’s Director of Business Development, this webinar explores the DDR’s rugged design, setup procedures, and its diverse applications in distributed sensing. The video also provides a brief overview of DTS data recorder history, tracing back to the earliest data loggers.