COEUR D’ALENE, ID – January 12, 2026 – Continuous Composites has been awarded a $1.25 million contract through the AFWERX Manufacturing Challenge to advance next-generation 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,” said 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 superior 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 DoW programs.
This 15 month effort will inform joining strategies and broader applications across the CF3D ecosystem, including CF3D Enterprise® hardware, CF3D Studio™ software, and the PolyMat™ and CeraMat™ material families. Together, these capabilities position Continuous Composites to demonstrate structural concepts that have been historically difficult to achieve with conventional composite processes.
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 War, or the U.S. government.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces. With a workforce spanning across nine technology areas and 40 other operations around the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.
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. Headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, AFWERX employs military, civilian and contractor personnel executing an annual $1.4 billion annual 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.
