COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho, Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuous Composites (CCI) has been awarded a $1.9 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a groundbreaking Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tool for Continuous Fiber 3D Printing (CF3D). This contract, which started in November 2024, will run through August 2026, and represents a significant advancement in the simulation of anisotropic composite materials, which have unique directional strengths based on fiber orientations.

Currently, commercially available FEA solutions are limited to isotropic materials, such as metals, where strength and stress responses are uniform in all directions. However, CF3D® composites are anisotropic, with primary strength in the direction of the fibers. This creates a challenge for traditional FEA software, which cannot accurately predict material behavior based on fiber orientation.

"We're solving a major gap in FEA simulation tools," said Steve Starner, CEO of Continuous Composites. "Existing software only assigns a single directional property to each layer of composite material, but CF3D's fiber steering requires a more dynamic approach. Our new tool will accurately simulate how our parts will behave under various conditions, which is crucial for industries like aerospace and defense."

CCI is partnering with industry experts on the development of this new FEA tool. The tool will ingest CF3D toolpath data to generate mesh representations that more accurately reflect fiber orientation, material behavior, and structural performance of how anisotropic parts will react to real-world loads.

As part of this effort, CCI will integrate the new tool into CF3D Studio™, enabling the prediction of material properties and performance before physical testing begins. This capability is expected to dramatically reduce development time and increase reliability in the design of complex composite parts used in mission-critical applications.

This contract is a major milestone for Continuous Composites, advancing CF3D technology from a manufacturing process to a comprehensive design-to-performance solution. The development of this tool represents a significant leap forward in the simulation of high-performance, lightweight composite parts, with potential applications across the aerospace, defense, and UAV industries.

About Continuous Composites
Continuous Composites is redefining composite manufacturing with CF3D, its patented Continuous Fiber 3D Printing technology. By combining advanced materials fiber steering, and automated manufacturing, CF3D delivers lightweight, high-performance structures with unmatched manufacturing agility—enabling new capabilities across aerospace, defense, and UAV sectors.

About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.

Media Contact
Liz Schmittou
Director of Marketing, Continuous Composites
media@cf3d.com
www.continuouscomposites.com

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SOURCE Continuous Composites