The demand today in commercial and military markets alike is for lightweight, multi-functional structures that are cost-effective, safe and efficient. Response has been limited because of the complexity of the demand. Cellular Materials International, Inc. (CMI), however, offers structures that are lightweight and multi-functional in a variety of designs and materials. Its advantages are that these materials are lighter than traditional metal forms (solid sheets), more functional than traditional cellular materials (honeycombs, metal foams), and therefore can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than any competitor material.

CMI develops and manufactures a set of proprietary structures based on a periodic cellular material (PCM) technology that is very light, very strong, efficient with heat exchange, multi-functional, and versatile due to its design and material flexibility. CMI's PCM is now being incorporated into advanced applications that require structural support, armor protection, and thermal management or any combination of these functions. These structures' multi-functionality could mean anything from enhanced performance of a fuel cell to increased payloads for spacecraft to personnel protection.

CMI's periodic cellular materials are comprised of a metal core sandwiched between two face sheets. The core is fabricated and then bonded to the face sheets through exceptionally strong nodes. CMI utilizes a wide variety of designs for its proprietary structures collectively referred to as Microtruss™. Both the core and face sheets are manufactured from proven and established commercial, wrought alloys employing standard metallurgical processes in a variety of designs, densities, and metals, depending on the specifications of the application.

The versatility of CMI's Microtruss™ materials makes them ideal for diverse applications such as jet blast deflection on aircraft carriers, blast and ballistic protection on armored vehicles, heat management for electronics storage, impact defense for vehicle bumpers, and flow separation control in scramjets. The wide variety of alloys that can be incorporated into Microtruss™ structures enable the utilization of these structures in harsh environments from marine to aerospace.