Background – Design and Build with Axiom Materials

Axiom Materials, Inc., is a progressive manufacturer of composite materials used to design and build some of the world’s most complex, highly engineered products. Our materials provide heat protection for rockets, make aircraft lighter weight, and industrial equipment more durable.  Axiom’s advanced technology composite materials have become the industry standard in the composite market through R&D studies, new chemistry, and customer-driven applications. Our reputation for agility and flexibility sets us apart in our industry. We work closely with clients across the globe in aerospace, military, automotive, industrial, sports, and medical industries to create exceptional, next-generation solutions.

Can you share some context about Axiom’s origin and initial mission?

Johnny has held technical leadership and management positions in aerospace, advanced materials, and sustainability from 2000-2010.   In 2010 Johnny founded Axiom Materials with the intent of creating a progressive composite materials manufacturing company that brings quality advanced composite products, adhesives, and research platforms with customer-focused service and forward-thinking design.

Across a very competitive landscape, what attributes typically differentiate Axiom?

We have an experienced, trusted, and dedicated team, incredibly high-quality standards, and are AS9100D and ISO9001:2015 certified. Our customers continue to place their confidence in Axiom for several key reasons

>     Our products deliver performance Proven across multiple industries and 1000’s of numerous applications, our products work

>     Customized for specialty, highly engineered products

>     Axiom is typically less expensive than larger multinational competitors because of high levels of automation and quality control in our manufacturing processes.

Axiom invested in the development of a High-Temperature Composite Center (HTCC) to support CMC production capabilities for the increasing demand of high-temperature composites in aerospace and industrial applications – how is the Center contributing to Axiom’s growth, and R&D capabilities?

Axiom Materials is undertaking a multi-million-dollar investment in our new High-Temperature Composites Center (HTCC) in Santa Ana for our CMC products. In addition to further expanding our CMC product offerings, this expansion will enhance our production efficiencies for the products we produce for high-temperature applications and provide more than adequate capacity to support our customers’ business expansion for several years into the future.

Our fully automated and continuous process equipment can produce hundreds of square meters of our prepregs with consistent quality and performance. This capability makes Axiom Materials the largest global producer of ceramic matrix composite materials on an industrial scale.

In addition to the oxide/oxide CMC prepregs for aerospace and industrial applications requiring service temperatures to 1100°C under stress, the new HTCC will be able to participate in a wider segment of the high-temperature market. Introduction of C/SiC and SiC/SiC products under license from JST and NITE will allow Axiom to expand its offerings for aerospace and industrial structural applications with service temperatures to 1400°C. The expanded portfolio will also put Axiom Materials in a lead position to supply SiC/SiC materials for scientific and industrial nuclear plant applications where NITE technology has achieved global recognition.

The HTCC is a game-changer for Axiom Materials to be a leader in high temperature, lightweight, structural materials.

What are the primary industries that Axiom serves?

We work closely with clients across the globe in aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, construction, sports, and medical industries to create exceptional, next-generation solutions.

Ceramic matrix composites are widely used across the energy sector – what specific applications and/or technologies are you excited to see within the high-temperature advanced composites market?

The energy sector offers ideal applications for ceramic matrix composites because they have a need for materials that can withstand extreme high-temperature environments, have high strength requirements, and can replace corrosive metals. Some of the use cases examples are fuel cells to handle expansion/contraction during the heating cycle, power generation fuel burner tips to extend plant uptime, and refinery pipe and joint repair.

It has now been more than one year since Axiom’s merger with Kordsa, which brought together Axiom’s material innovation and Kordsa’s operational expertise – can you share some of the core benefits that customers now experience as a result of the acquisition?

Axiom’s merger with Kordsa has yielded many operational benefits. Kordsa is the largest global manufacturer of nylon fiber. Axiom has been able to utilize Kordsa’s expertise in improving quality systems and process engineering. This improves the reliability of our products and offers better manufacturing efficiencies. Also, Axiom’s technical team is able to collaborate with over 200 engineers and technicians in Kordsa’s Composite Center of Excellence in Turkey.

How has Covid-19 impacted Axiom’s near-term or long-term outlook?

First and foremost, we value the safety and health of our employees during this challenging period. Axiom has enacted stringent policies on the production floor that allow our workers to operate safely and continue to support our customers as a critical industry supplier. For sure, COVID-19 had reduced demand for aerospace-grade materials. However, we have seen a pick-up in other industries, such as power generation, medical, and construction applications. While commercial aerospace volumes are lower, Axiom’s lead times are shorter, and we have certain available capacity for customers who need a quick turn.