Arizona State University (ASU) are opening the ‘largest Additive Manufacturing facility in the South West‘. Located at the Polytechnic campus, the 15,000 sq ft facility will use 3D printing machines for a wide range of research and prototyping purposes. The University have partnered with Concept Laser, Honeywell Aerospace and Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies (PADT) in order to establish the facility which will be officially opened later this month.
The lab features over $2 million worth of 3D printers, with Concept Laser providing M2 cusing and Mlab cusing machines. Arizona State University are currently the only institution in Arizona that offers a Manufacturing Engineering undergraduate degree and are one of only 22 ABET accredited programs in the United States. Elsewhere in the U.S, Penn State are encouraging these types of relationships with Timothy Simpson acknowledged recently for his research and industry relationships.
John Murray, President and CEO of Concept Laser Inc, explained their motivation for getting behind the facility,
Changing the future of metal additive manufacturing begins with educated teachers and curious students. The educational leadership that the ASU Polytechnic School provides to the South-west region and the industry will certainly be impactful. Concept Laser is proud to be a partner in this initiative.
Honeywell Aerospace
Honeywell hope to encourage education into additive manufacturing through this facility and have recently partnered with Sigma Labs in a project involving the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency in order to accelerate the use of metal 3D printing. Don Godfrey, Engineering Fellow at Honeywell, described their position with Arizona State University,
… we have provided mentorship to students in the program and assisted in the procurement of one machine for the schools’ new lab. We look forward to growing our relationships with the university in developing brilliant minds to tackle and overcome industry challenges associated with aviation and additive manufacturing.
While Rey Chu, Principal Manufacturing Technologies at PADT, Inc summed up the roles of the three different companies and how they have come together to support the facility,
This partnership is the next and obvious step in the progression of additive manufacturing in the Southwest. With Concept Laser’s outstanding technology, Honeywell’s leadership in applying additive manufacturing to practical Aerospace needs, PADT’s extensive network of customers and industry experience, and ASU’s proven ability to educate and work with industry, the effort will establish a strong foundation for the entire regional ecosystem.
As Rey Chu says, we expect to see more of these types of partnerships in the future. Arizona State University will be opening the facility at a launch event on 18th January. Attending the event will be Director Ann McKenna, Rey Chu, John Murray and Don Godfrey.
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Featured image shows The ASU Polytechnic building. Photo via Green Ideas.
