Continuous Composites awarded $1.25 million to advance joining methods with CF3D
AFWERX contract supports next-gen joining and stiffening techniques with continuous fiber 3D printing (CF3D) technologies to tackle weight challenges and structural performance in airframe design.
Source | Continuous Composites
Continuous Composites (Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, U.S.) was awarded a $1.25 million contract through the AFWERX Manufacturing Challenge in January 2026 to advance next-gen joining and stiffening approaches for aerospace structures.
CF3D is a digitally driven manufacturing process enabling the automated and highly scalable production of continuous fiber composites with precise steering, rapid UV curing and optimized designs. This project applies those capabilities to a persistent challenge in lightweight airframe design: increasing structural strength and stability while minimizing weight. The effort evaluates how CF3D can form load-bearing stiffeners bonded onto composite panels or integrated during panel fabrication.
“This award reflects the growing recognition of CF3D as a foundational capability for future aerospace structures,” says Steve Starner, CEO of Continuous Composites. “When fiber steering, rapid curing and computational design operate as a single system, we gain the ability to tailor structural behavior with precision. That level of control is essential for meeting the aggressive performance and weight demands shaping modern airframe development.”
The contract builds on earlier evaluations where CF3D was investigated for stability challenges in unmanned aerial systems. By integrating stiffeners optimized for optimal strength-to-weight ratios, surpassing the performance of conventional composite approaches, the effort advances structural capabilities for defense and aerospace platforms.
AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, established the Manufacturing Challenge to accelerate the transition of emerging manufacturing methods into operational use. The selection of Continuous Composites reflects increasing defense interest in CF3D as an enabler of lighter, mission-scale structures that meet the air worthiness constraints of DOD programs.
This 15-month effort will inform joining strategies and broader applications across the CF3D ecosystem, including CF3D Enterprise hardware, CF3D Studio software, as well as PolyMat and CeraMat material families.
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