McNair Center Expands Advanced Manufacturing Capability With Ultra-High-Temperature Furnace Installation
BY Composights
Published: 17 Jun 2026
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Carolina s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing has announced the installation and immediate availability of a Materials Research Furnaces (MRF, Allenstown, N.H., U.S.) furnace system at its 42,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Columbia, South Carolina. The procurement of this new furnace was made possible through OSW ManTech funding, with program management support provided by NSWC Crane.
In collaboration with MRF, the McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research has installed an ultra-high-temperature furnace system capable of operating at up to 2400 C. The system features an internal retort measuring 28 inches in diameter and 30 inches in height, with approximately 8 cubic feet of usable hot zone, representing a significant advancement in high-temperature materials processing capability.
The upgraded furnace infrastructure is designed to support the processing and development of advanced aerospace materials, including carbon-carbon (C/C), carbon-SiC, and SiC-SiC composite systems. These materials are critical for applications requiring extreme thermal resistance and structural stability under harsh operational conditions.
By enabling more precise and scalable thermal processing, the system strengthens research into next-generation aerospace structures, including propulsion components, thermal protection systems, and hypersonic vehicle materials.
The installation further enhances McNAIR s in-house capabilities for advanced manufacturing research, reducing reliance on external processing facilities and enabling tighter integration between material development and aerospace system design.
Source: McNAIR | News
