Facilities

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World-class Research, Innovation & Facilities

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Maine’s Largest
University Research Center

The Advanced Structures and Composites Center is a world-leading, interdisciplinary center for research, education, and economic development encompassing material sciences, manufacturing, and the engineering of composites and structures. The Center is housed in a 100,000 ft2 ISO 17025-accredited testing laboratory.

Additive
Manufacturing

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Ocean
Engineering

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Wood
Composites

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Thermoplastics


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LABORATORIES

100,000 ft2

Laboratory Space

260+

Full Time Employees

1600+

Student Employees

Map of the ASCC

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A 1:50-scale offshore model testing facility that accurately simulates towing tests, variable water depths, and scaled wind and wave conditions that represent some of the worst storms possible anywhere on Earth.

Capabilities
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The UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center has a complete Wood Composites Pilot Line allowing the production of up to 4’ x 8’ oriented strand board (OSB), laminated strand lumber (LSL), particleboard, Wood Fiber Insulation, and other cellulosic composites on a near-industrial scale.

Companies may opt for complete manufacturing – from log to panel – or select only certain unit operations, such as stranding, drying, and screening. Recent studies include the use of innovative resin systems, wax substitutes, and residuals to produce value-added products.

Capabilities
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The 8100 m2, $160 million laboratory employs more than 260 people with expertise in large-scale and coupon-level instrumentation and testing, composites manufacturing and analysis, finite element analysis, and other modeling techniques. UMaine Composites Center faculty and staff may be engaged to jointly develop products or may be contracted to fabricate and test composite or concrete products.

Capabilities
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The mission of this lab is to increase the market prevalence of structural thermoplastics through the demonstration of automated, advanced manufacturing techniques.

Capabilities

We are dedicated to leading the forefront of Large-scale Additive Manufacturing. The ASCC has made breakthrough innovations to the field and with university expertise, we can bring promising concepts to market quickly and drive US manufacturing to a sustainable future.

Capabilities

Our facility includes fully equipped, integrated laboratories to develop and test durable, lightweight, corrosion-resistant material solutions for a wide variety of industries. These include, but are not limited to:


Offshore wind energy
Civil infrastructure
Electrical utilities


The Center offers expertise in large-scale and coupon-level instrumentation and testing, composites manufacturing and analysis, and finite element analysis.

Capabilities
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Researchers at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center have the ability to probe the internal structure and properties of materials.  This allows for understanding the fundamental properties of the material from the nano to macro scale. Technical capabilities include computer analysis, advanced visualization, and multiscale microscopy.

Capabilities

The Mechanical Testing Laboratory is an enclosed lab with temperature and humidity control.  This laboratory supports an extensive menu of material
properties testing.  A full range of fixtures and extensometers is available for conducting ASTM and custom tests.  The Instron testing machines housed in this laboratory are powered by a 3,000 psi hydraulic system.  All Instron test equipment is controlled using Instron Console Control, Instron WaveMatrix, and Instron Bluehill software.

Capabilities

This laboratory contains equipment for producing hybrid blends of polymer melts and liquid suspensions with different functional fillers of nano- to millimeter-scale size and to fabricate samples for material property characterization. 

Capabilities

With Special Thanks to Kenway Corporation, Kenneth Priest II, Michael Priest, and Ian Kopp Families


The Kenway Composite Materials Laboratory was dedicated Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. The lab was named for Kenway Corporation, a third-generation family business in Augusta, Maine. Founded in 1947, the company produces fiberglass pleasure boats and composite, industrial components. Kenway Corporation, Kenneth Priest II, Michael Priest and Ian Kopp Families contributed a $100,000 endowment held in the University of Maine Foundation. The earnings support UMaine staff, students, research, and scientific advancement of polymer matrix composites and related materials at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

Capabilities

The Quality Control Lab houses calibration standards, electronic testing instruments, digital image correlation equipment, and physical small-scale test fixtures. Its modular design provides a configurable workspace for organizing and testing data acquisition systems, fabricating transducer cable assemblies, and troubleshooting electronic circuits.

Capabilities

This laboratory contains equipment for producing hybrid blends of polymer melts and liquid suspensions with different functional fillers of nano- to millimeter-scale size and to fabricate samples for material property characterization. Thermal, rheological, static/dynamic-mechanical, and physical properties of polymeric materials can be analyzed in the polymer lab. Surface characterization for wood and polymers can be also performed by measurements of contact angle and surface energy. The degree of cure and adhesive properties of thermosetting polymers can be analyzed using thermal and mechanical properties.

– Sample fabrication for material property characterization.
– Equipment for producing hybrid blends of polymer melts and liquid suspensions with different nano- to millimeter-scale fillers.
– Thermal, rheological, and static/dynamic-mechanical analysis.

Capabilities

The Environmental Testing Laboratory supports the testing of materials under an array of environmental conditions. Specimens can be tested under accelerated regimes of ultraviolet (UV) exposure, condensation, and water spray.  They are also routinely subjected to repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

Capabilities

The Materials Manufacturing Science Laboratory is a facility for composite materials product and process development. Pilot- or full-scale prototypes of beams, girders, panels, pipes, connections, and other products can be manufactured to develop new products or to optimize existing product lines. A variety of composites processes and curing methods are available.

– Pilot- or full-scale prototype manufacturing.
– Variety of composites processes and curing methods.

Capabilities

Alfond Advanced Manufacturing Lab for Strucutal Thermoplastics

Instrumentation in the Structural Testing Lab

Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab

Wood Pilot Line

Structural Testing in the Offshore Wind Lab

Structural Testing Lab

Alfond Advanced Manufacturing Lab for Strucutal Thermoplastics

Additive Manufacturing

World’s Largest Polymer 3D Printer

Wood Testing in the Structural Testing Lab

Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab

Wood Composite Testing