News
America Makes Announces Expansion of Service Offerings Available at the America Makes Satellite Center
November 08, 2018 | Categories: America Makes News
The Institute Enters into a New Memorandum of Understanding with The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and Its W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation
Youngstown, Ohio — November 8, 2018. America Makes proudly announces the expansion of available service offerings at the America Makes Satellite Center in order to fill the immense need in the additive manufacturing (AM) community for access to critical performance data from AM-produced parts. The America Makes Satellite Center resides on the campus of Platinum-level member, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), housed within the renowned W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation. The Memorandum of Understanding between America Makes, which is managed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), and UTEP was finalized and announced today during a press conference held at the UTEP Engineering Building Lobby at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST).
“Since our inception, America Makes has worked tirelessly to foster a highly collaborative membership community for the open exchange of additive manufacturing information and research with the singular goal of advancing our industry,” said Rob Gorham, America Makes Executive Director. “Today’s announcement of our newly updated agreement with UTEP further underscores our dedication to our industry and demonstrates the ongoing success of our collaboration with UTEP and the Keck Center.
“The goal of the new MOU is to expand our current Satellite Center relationship by incorporating services that will provide tremendous strategic value to the America Makes membership community,” continued Mr. Gorham. “Over time, an exponential amount of performance and characterization data will be generated, making America Makes a significant source of additive manufacturing performance data. For our membership community, this translates into a substantial competitive advantage.”
Since 2015, UTEP’s Keck Center has served as an America Makes Satellite Center, complementing and promoting America Makes’ mission and its current regional, industrial, and technological footprint to innovate and accelerate 3D printing and increase domestic manufacturing and economic competitiveness. UTEP’s Keck Center is a unique multidisciplinary research facility focused on the use and development AM technologies with primary focus areas in AM technology development, engineered and structured materials, and advanced AM applications.
“The Keck Center’s ongoing dedication to advancing additive manufacturing and all of the supporting technologies and creating a skilled workforce aligns perfectly with the mission of America Makes,” said America Makes Founding Director and NCDMM President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Resnick, FSME. “On behalf of all of us at America Makes, we are pleased to have our relationship with UTEP and the Keck Center enter this new phase. The America Makes membership community and industry at large will benefit greatly from the expanded services available at the America Makes Satellite Center.”
Added UTEP President Diana Natalicio, “We are excited to enter this expanded collaboration with America Makes. This is a significant step in the effort to address the need to generate data that can be used to move the additive manufacturing industry forward. We are elated that UTEP, through the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, has proven its capability to provide this service. We look forward to addressing the needs of America Makes while offering our students opportunities to participate in groundbreaking work in a thriving technology industry.”
Founded in 2001 as part of a $1 million grant by the W.M. Keck Foundation, UTEP’s Keck Center is a lab like no other. Led by Director and Founder Ryan Wicker, Ph.D., the Keck Center features a 13,000-square-foot, state-of-the art facility with more than 50 additive manufacturing machines and more than 50 involved faculty, staff, students and researchers with multiple successful national and international collaborations. The lab showcases a unique blend of additive manufacturing equipment and facilities to perform fundamental research, allowing for trailblazing discoveries to be made in limitless arenas of science including 3-D printed electronics, airplanes and satellite components, human augmentation, biomedical implants and future energy systems.
“This new arrangement with America Makes benefits all parties,” concluded Dr. Wicker. “Members will be able to utilize our state-of-the-art equipment and generate significant data that can in turn assist our industry in determining how best to use 3D printing for designing and producing next-generation products. We will be working with 3D printing equipment manufacturers and materials suppliers to maintain a high level of technological advancement at the Keck Center. Lastly, our students will benefit from the direct work they perform and through the research avenues that companies will pursue as they learn more about their products.”
For more information about America Makes, its Satellite Center at UTEP’s Keck Center, or how to become a member, please visit the America Makes Web site at americamakes.us.
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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.
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/.
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.