What Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing does

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing (ACM), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, specializes in the development and production of water-soluble mandrels, composite tooling, and technical ceramic components. The company's proprietary core technology is a family of water-soluble binder-particulate composites (marketed under brands including FastCore, Aquapour, ClaveCore, Aquacore, Aquacore Premium, RTMCore, FastPour, and CF4) that dissolve in cold tap water after composite curing, enabling the fabrication of complex hollow composite structures without labor-intensive mechanical mandrel removal. ACM also offers toll processing services — autoclave processing, vacuum furnace runs up to 2200°C, rapid prototyping, and onsite mandrel production — and manufactures precision technical ceramics (alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, carbides, nitrides, oxides, diborides) via Non-Aqueous Gel Casting and hot pressing.

ACM generates revenue through direct B2B sales of its water-soluble mandrel products (both as DIY materials and pre-formed net-shape mandrels), custom and standard technical ceramic components, and toll processing/R&D services. It serves primarily aerospace and defense OEMs — including Boeing, Sikorsky, Airbus, Bell Helicopter, and Virgin Galactic — along with secondary segments in F1 racing and academic research. The company exhibits at industry trade shows (SAMPE, JEC World) and conducts direct enterprise field sales. It is AS9100D/ISO 9001:2015 certified and is an SBA 8(a)-certified small business, with 51% majority ownership held by the San Xavier Development Authority of the Tohono O'odham Nation, providing preferential access to federal contracts. Cumulative federal grant funding exceeds $1 million since 2013, and the company has received 22 SBIR/STTR awards plus R&D 100 recognition in 2001 and 2002.

Name

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing

Legal name

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing, LLC

Website

https://acmtucson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing (Tucson, AZ) develops and produces water-soluble mandrels, composite tooling, and precision technical ceramic components for aerospace, defense, and industrial customers including Boeing, Sikorsky, Airbus, and NASA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water-Soluble Mandrel Products: Sale of proprietary water-soluble mandrel materials including Aquapour, Aquacore, FastCore, ClaveCore, RTMCore, FastPour, CF4, and accessory products (Aquaseal, Aqua Tool Bond, Aquafill). Products sold as DIY materials or pre-formed net-shape mandrels.
2. Technical Ceramics Components: Custom and standard ceramic components in various materials (Alumina, Zirconia, Silicon Nitride, Carbides, Nitrides, Oxides, Diborides). Both custom geometries and standard plate/cylinder forms.
3. Research and Development Services: Basic and applied research partnerships with government agencies, universities, and private corporations. Conducts work as both prime contractor and subcontractor. Focus areas include technical ceramics, ceramic matrix composites, and customized tooling materials.
4. Toll Processing Services: Toll autoclave processing, toll furnace runs (up to 2200°C in vacuum), rapid prototyping services, and onsite production of water-soluble mandrels using customer-supplied tooling.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing develops and produces water-soluble mandrels and tooling, composite parts, and technical ceramic components for worldwide distribution. The company serves aerospace, defense, industrial, racing, and research customers with proprietary materials that dissolve in cold tap water after composite curing, enabling complex hollow composite structures. It also provides toll processing services including autoclave processing, furnace runs, and rapid prototyping.

Product overview

Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing is a world-leader in Water Soluble Mandrels providing tooling solutions across defense and aerospace industries. Their core product portfolio centers on five water-soluble mandrel material lines (FastCore, AquaPour, ClaveCore, Aquacore, and Aquacore Premium) complemented by supporting products (Aquafill, Aqua Tool Bond, Aquaseal, RTMCore, Fastpour, CF4) that enable hollow composites, trapped configurations, and seamless structures. The portfolio also includes Technical Ceramics (precision manufactured ceramics including oxides, carbides, nitrides, and diborides) and toll manufacturing services (autoclave processing, furnace runs, onsite production, rapid prototyping). All water-soluble products wash out with plain tap water and are compatible with aerospace composite processing methods including wet lay-up, vacuum bag only, autoclave, bladder molding, filament winding, VARTM, and RTM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FastCore: Net shape mandrels technology suitable for rapid prototyping and production quantities, listed on Boeing Material Specification BMS14-13, suitable for autoclave processing at temperatures up to 400F.
• AquaPour
• ClaveCore
• AquaCore
• AquaCore Premium
• Aquafill
• Aqua Tool Bond
• Aquaseal
• RTM Core
• FastPour
• CF4

Products and services

• FastCore Pre-formed water-soluble net-shape mandrels compatible with autoclave processing up to 400°F, supplied sealed with PTFE tape for rapid prototyping and production runs. Used by aerospace and defense composite manufacturers.
• Aquapour Castable water-soluble mandrel material mixed with water and thermally dehydrated to form complex shapes; dissolves in cold tap water for easy removal from finished composites. For aerospace and composite manufacturers.
• ClaveCore Patented self-pressurizing rigid tooling material that expands when thermally activated, designed for out-of-autoclave composite applications. Achieves pressures up to 700 psi to consolidate composite plies.
• Aquacore Water-soluble mandrel material with moist sand consistency, shipped with full water content and used to form simple shapes via pressure packing or CNC machining of blocks. Compressive strength 500 psi at 70°F.
• Aquacore Premium Higher compressive strength variant of Aquacore with decreased porosity, formulated for precision machinability and tight-tolerance composite tooling.
• Aquafill Premixed patching material used to fill surface imperfections in Aquapour, Aquacore, and Aquacore Premium mandrels; ready to use with a rubber squeegee.
• Aqua Tool Bond Water-soluble adhesive for bonding ACM mandrel materials (FastCore, Aquapour, Aquafill, Aquacore, Aquacore Premium), used for assembling complex/large mandrels or repairing damaged sections.
• Aquaseal Sealant for ACM water-soluble mandrel materials that provides a smooth nonporous finish and inhibits resin migration during lay-up or RTM composite processing.
• RTM Core First soluble tooling system designed for resin infusion processes (RTM). Withstands hot, high-pressure resin infusion yet dissolves in tap water; formed with heat and pressure without drying.
• FastPour On-site water-soluble mandrel technology with rapid strength development, set times as fast as 15 minutes, and operational temperatures up to 750-800°F.
• CF4 Melt-cast mandrel technology that produces water-removable mandrels via eutectic salt casting, suitable for autoclave and non-autoclave composite processing.
• Technical Ceramics High-strength, high-temperature ceramic components in oxides, carbides, nitrides, and diborides, processed via Non-Aqueous Gel Casting (NAGC) and hot pressing methods in custom and standard shapes.
• Toll Autoclave Processing of Composites Toll-based autoclave composite processing service using a research autoclave with ~20-inch diameter chamber and 36-inch depth.
• Onsite Production Onsite production of water-soluble mandrels cast from customer-supplied tooling, available for small and large production runs.
• Toll Furnace Runs High-temperature furnace services including box furnaces, retorts, and vacuum furnaces capable of firing up to 1600-1700°C in air and 2200°C in vacuum.
• Rapid Prototyping Rapid prototyping using patented water-soluble tooling materials processed inside an RP platform; parts can be machined directly from CAD files without hard tooling (build size up to 60x60x24 inches).

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% savings compared to autoclave processes with ClaveCore technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CoorsTek: Global technical ceramics manufacturer producing alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, and other advanced ceramics for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Directly comparable to ACM's Technical Ceramics product line in materials, processing methods, and customer base, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• CeramTec: Large European-headquartered manufacturer of advanced technical ceramics including oxides, carbides, and nitrides for industrial and aerospace applications. Comparable to ACM in substrate materials and precision ceramic component production for demanding environments.
• Morgan Advanced Materials: Global manufacturer of high-performance technical ceramics, composites, and specialty materials serving aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial markets. Overlaps with ACM in high-temperature ceramic components, ceramic processing expertise, and aerospace customer base.
• Saint-Gobain: Diversified global materials company with a significant technical ceramics and high-performance materials portfolio serving aerospace and industrial markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering ceramic substrates, refractories, and composite-adjacent materials.
• Kyocera: Japanese multinational producing fine ceramics, industrial components, and electronic devices. Comparable to ACM in industrial ceramic manufacturing using alumina, zirconia, and similar materials for demanding mechanical and thermal environments.
• Albany Engineered Composites: Division of Albany International producing advanced composite aerostructures and tooling for aerospace and defense. Comparable to ACM as a composite manufacturing supplier serving Boeing, Airbus-tier customers with engineered composite parts.
• McDanel Advanced Material Technologies: US-based technical ceramics manufacturer producing alumina, zirconia, and other high-temperature ceramic components for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Closest US-headquartered peer to ACM in technical ceramics materials and customer overlap.

Direct peers

• Janicki Industries: Composite tooling and parts manufacturer producing large-scale composite structures, tooling masters, and prototype parts for aerospace, marine, and industrial customers. Closest direct peer to ACM in composite tooling with overlapping customer base in commercial and defense aerospace.

Emerging players

• Orbital Composites: Emerging player in advanced composite manufacturing using robotics and additive tooling approaches for aerospace structures. Comparable as a forward-leaning composite tooling competitor whose technology could partially substitute for ACM's soluble mandrels over time.
• 9T Labs: Emerging player in automated, additive composite manufacturing of continuous-fiber structural parts for aerospace and industrial markets. Comparable as a technology alternative for producing complex composite geometries that today rely on soluble or sacrificial mandrels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing