McNAIR Center Installed Advanced Robotic Fiber System

The Columbia facility has added a new Mikrosam robotic system to support advanced manufacturing partnerships.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Robotics

Isometric editorial illustration of a complex carbon fiber manufacturing robotic arm, showing mechanical precision in a technical research lab setting. — The University of South Carolina's McNAIR Center has installed a new Mikrosam robotic fiber placement system to expand research capabilities for manufacturing partners. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The University of South Carolina McNAIR Center in Columbia has commissioned a Mikrosam Libra robotic automated fiber placement system. This new equipment is available to support both government and industrial manufacturing partners.

Why it matters

The installation is funded by the Office of the Secretary of War Manufacturing Technology Program to bolster next-generation advanced manufacturing initiatives. It expands the capacity for complex materials research within the facility.

The system features a KUKA Titan L750 robot on a 10.6-meter linear rail with an 8-tow AFP head. It accommodates tooling up to 4.3 meters long and 1.8 meters in diameter, supporting thermoset, thermoplastic, and dry fiber materials.

The players

McNAIR Center

This is a 42,000-square-foot research facility located at the University of South Carolina that focuses on advanced manufacturing.

Mikrosam

This company is a manufacturer of advanced composite production machinery based in North Macedonia.

KUKA

This is a German-based manufacturer of industrial robots and factory automation systems.

Office of the Secretary of War

This government office manages the Manufacturing Technology Program that provided funding for the new robotic equipment.

The details

The robotic system provides precise fiber placement through individual tow control and a data acquisition suite that monitors temperature, compaction pressure, and layup speed. This hardware complements the Roctool induction-heated platens added to the center earlier this year.

Roctool induction-heated platens were installed earlier in 2026.
The Mikrosam system installation was announced on September 21, 2026.

The Tech Race

The integration of this robotic system marks a significant advancement in the move toward automated composite material production. It positions the facility to compete with other global research hubs by replacing manual layup processes with high-precision digital manufacturing.

This technology enables faster and more precise manufacturing of complex composite parts for industrial applications. Partners utilizing the center will benefit from improved data tracking and production efficiency for their next-generation projects.

The takeaway

The adoption of multi-material robotic systems demonstrates the ongoing shift toward precision-controlled, high-speed automated manufacturing. Organizations looking to adopt these technologies should prioritize systems with robust data acquisition capabilities to ensure consistent material quality.