CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Branch Technology, Inc. announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract of $1.13M focused on developing a 3D printed, highly insulating building retrofit system for exterior walls to address pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF) – installation maintenance, operational environmental sustainability, and physical building resilience. The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now on July 20th, 2023, Branch Technology began its third Phase II journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
David Goodloe, Program Development Manager for Branch, said, “The Air Force has been an incredible innovation partner. Their commitment to sponsoring and transitioning game-changing technologies is unparalleled in my experience working with the government. We are excited to develop a new capability that will improve the performance of the Air Force’s built environment, reduce its operational carbon footprint, and test capabilities for integrated force protection. Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of all global carbon emissions. Retrofitting existing buildings is the only viable answer to addressing this challenge, as new construction projects are often even more expensive, carbon-costly, and wasteful. This project will enable us to develop and demonstrate a fully scalable and customizable 3D printed retrofit panel system that can be tailored to an existing building’s geometry to drastically enhance its energy efficiency. We will demonstrate this innovation on a building at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2024 and plan to apply it to other buildings for the military and beyond.”
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
About Branch Technology
Branch Technology offers technology-driven solutions for the built environment using its novel Cellular Fabrication (C-Fab®) process. C-Fab® combines large-scale robotic 3D printing, custom geometric algorithms, high-performance composite materials, intelligent building science, and prefabrication principles to enable solutions for a variety of industries.
About Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Sole organization leading the planning and execution of U.S. Air Force & U.S. Space Force science & technology programs. Orchestrates a world-wide government, industry & academia coalition in the discovery, development & delivery of a wide range of revolutionary technology. Provides leading-edge warfighting capabilities keeping air, space and cyberspace forces the world’s best. Employs 10,800 military, civilian and contractor personnel at 17 research sites executing an annual $4B budget. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
The innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory brings cutting edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. Employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4B budget. Since 2019, has executed 4,671 contracts worth more than $2B to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.
SOURCE Branch Technology
