The Institute Enters into a Memorandum of Understanding with WSU-NIAR
Youngstown, Ohio — July 16, 2019. America Makes proudly announces that its third America Makes Satellite Center will be located on the campus of the Institute’s Platinum-level member, Wichita State University (WSU) within the facilities of the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) in Wichita, Kan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between America Makes, which is managed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), and WSU-NIAR was announced today at 4:00 p.m. CDT at the America Makes TRX+ event being held at the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT).
“On behalf of all of us at America Makes, we are pleased to announce the selection of NIAR as the site of our third America Makes Satellite Center,” said America Makes Executive Director John Wilczynski. “For more than 30 years, NIAR has made a name for itself as the most capable university-based aviation research center in the United States, providing research, design, testing, certification and training to the aviation manufacturing industries. As our next America Makes Satellite Center, NIAR will have the unique distinction of being our first industry-specific Satellite Center solely focused on advancing the use of additive manufacturing within the aerospace industry. We are excited for this enhanced collaborative partnership with NIAR to get underway.”
Of WSU-NIAR’s selection as America Makes’ next Satellite Center, John S. Tomblin, Ph.D., WSU Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer and NIAR Executive Director said, “We’re honored to be recognized as a valuable research partner for the Institute. We have already seen great benefits as members of America Makes, and we expect our increased involvement as a Satellite Center to magnify those for us and for America Makes.”
Managed by NCDMM, America Makes is the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA network. As a public-private partnership, America Makes currently has a membership community comprised of approximately 220 member organizations, bringing together our nation’s brilliant technical minds from all corners of government, industry, and academia to create a hub of advanced manufacturing innovation in AM.
The objective of the America Makes Satellite Center model is to extend the reach of the existing America Makes mission by complementing and expanding its current regional, industrial, and technological footprint. America Makes founded its first Satellite Center in 2015 at the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Most recently in March 2019, America Makes announced that its second Satellite Center would be located at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), a part of The Texas A&M University System, in College Station, Texas.
America Makes Director of Partnerships & Community Relations Erin O’Donnell added, “America Makes is committed to strategically growing the Satellite Center infrastructure in such a way that brings the most overall benefits to our membership community and the additive industry at large. Within the areas of each of the Satellite Centers, we envision an ecosystem similar to what we have achieved within the greater Youngstown area. America Makes has capitalized on the strength of shared goals and synergies of local organizations, including the Youngstown Business Incubator and Youngstown State University, to advance the innovation in and the adoption of additive.
“Our goal for the Satellite Centers is to leverage the existing collaborative partnerships and further grow them into a larger ecosystem of additive specialization,” continued Ms. O’Donnell. “With NIAR joining the America Makes Satellite Center infrastructure, we are very excited to focus on certifying and qualifying additive technologies within the aerospace sector. The outcomes of such an effort are poised to have a tremendous impact on our membership community, the aerospace sector, and the additive manufacturing industry.”
NIAR’s mission is to conduct research, transfer technology and enhance education for the purpose of advancing the nation’s aviation industry. With 20 on-site labs with representation by nearly every aerospace OEM, NIAR offers capabilities, technology, and expertise that are unlike those of any other test lab. Additionally, NIAR is also home to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CECAM) and the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP), which is funded through the FAA and Air Force Research Laboratory. These centers promote the safety, research, manufacturing and design elements of today’s aviation industry, strengthening airworthiness assurance in the short- and long-term.
Ryan Wicker, Ph.D., P.E., Director of the Keck Center at UTEP, learning of America Makes’ selection of NIAR as a Satellite Center offered, “I am very pleased that America Makes is expanding to include NIAR as its latest Satellite Center. As the first America Makes Satellite Center, we have enjoyed leveraging our relationship to expand opportunities in additive manufacturing both regionally and nationally by developing new educational programs at UTEP, developing and delivering training to active military and Department of Defense personnel around the globe, pursuing state-of-the-art research to advance knowledge and applications, and building a new regional economy around these technologies. I am personally looking forward to working with NIAR and the entire America Makes team on continuing to drive the additive manufacturing revolution forward.”
From the point-of-view as the new TEES Executive Director of Manufacturing Initiatives, Office of Business Development, former America Makes Executive Director Rob Gorham added, “We offer sincere congratulations to our friends at NIAR. The Satellite Center model is incredibly important for us at Texas A&M. We fully embrace the objective of advancing additive manufacturing competencies in the U.S. and are proud to do so within the state of Texas. I look forward to integrating our capabilities with those of NIAR in support of the America Makes mission.”
For more information about America Makes, its Satellite Centers, or how to become a member, please visit the America Makes Web site at AmericaMakes.us. Follow us on Twitter @AmericaMakes.
About America Makes
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA infrastructure and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit AmericaMakes.us and follow @AmericaMakes on Twitter.
About NCDMM
NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in manufacturing areas—both commercial and defense—to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, the players, the technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at NCDMM.org/ and follow @NCDMMnews on Twitter.
About Wichita State
University
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational,
cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita
State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and
offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in
seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master’s and 12
doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State’s
Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings,
laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs
and businesses have access to the university’s vast resources and technology.
For more information, follow us on Twitter at @WichitaState and Facebook at facebook.com/wichita.state.
About NIAR
The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing technologies. Established in 1985, NIAR has a $70 million annual budget; a staff of 550; and nearly 1 million square feet of laboratory and office space in four locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. NIAR laboratories include Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Advanced Manufacturing, Aging Aircraft, Ballistics & Impact Dynamics, CAD/CAM, Composites & Advanced Materials, Computational Mechanics, Crash Dynamics, Environmental & Electromagnetic Test, Full-scale Structural Test, Nondestructive Test, Reverse Engineering, Robotics & Automation, Virtual Reality and the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel. For more information, visit wichita.edu/research/NIAR/.
About The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
UTEP has redefined public higher education not only in Texas, but also across the nation as the University begins its second century of service. Since opening its doors as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy in 1914, UTEP’s geographic location along the U.S.-Mexico border has enabled generations of students to pursue their goals through higher education in one of the largest binational communities in the world. With more than $80 million in annual research spending, UTEP is dedicated to becoming the first national research university serving a 21st century student demographic. The University’s outstanding record of receiving extremely competitive grant awards reflects the quality of UTEP’s faculty and their sustained commitment to excellence while also maintaining an academic environment dedicated to addressing the educational needs of students. For more information about UTEP, visit utep.edu.
About the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation
Located at the University of Texas at El Paso, the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation is a unique multidisciplinary research facility focused on the use and development of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies with primary focus areas in AM Technology Development, Engineered and Structured Materials, and Advanced AM Applications. The Keck Center was established in 2001 as part of a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation and was recently expanded to its current 13,000 square feet as a result of funding from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, the University of Texas System, and Lockheed Martin. For more information, visit keck.utep.edu.
About the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)
As an engineering research agency of Texas, TEES performs quality research driven by world problems; strengthens and expands the state’s workforce through educational partnerships and training; and develops and transfers technology to industry. TEES partners with academic institutions, governmental agencies, industries, and communities to solve problems to help improve the quality of life, promote economic development and enhance educational systems. For more information, visit tees.tamu.edu/.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.7 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $996 million in FY 2017 and helped drive the state’s economy. For more information, visit tamus.edu.
Source: America Makes
