Cambium (El Segundo, Calif., U.S.) is showcasing ApexShield 1000, a phthalonitrile-based resin system that accelerates the fabrication of carbon-carbon (C/C) composite components for hypersonic and aerospace applications.

Cambium worked closely with the U.S. Navy, especially the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), to advance this technology, along with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), industry partners and the Biomanufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE). ApexShield 1000 high-temperature resin reduces polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) cycles from six to nine, down to just one to two, which Cambium says slashes production time by up to 80% compared to legacy systems. This advancement enables fabricators of hypersonic glide bodies, rocket nozzle extensions and ablative structures like solid rocket motor and VLS nozzles to move from months of production to just weeks.

ApexShield 1000 also reduces cost by enabling higher throughput using existing C/C manufacturing infrastructure. Designed for vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) and resin transfer molding (RTM), the system features low-melt viscosity and is stable at room temperature, removing the need for freezer storage. It is already being produced at metric-ton scale and integrated into domestic supply chains, supporting Cambium’s mission to help U.S. defense manufacturers respond faster.

Visitors to Cambium’s booth can learn how this material is increasing production speed, scalability and supply chain resilience in thermal protection system (TPS) design and C/C part fabrication.