News
America Makes Announces its First Satellite Center to be Located on the Campus of The University of Texas at El Paso
May 05, 2015 | Categories: America Makes News
Youngstown, Ohio — May 5, 2015. America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is proud to announce its plans to open its first America Makes Satellite Center on the campus of the Institute’s Platinum-level member, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), in conjunction with UTEP’s renowned W.M. Keck Center for 3-D Innovation.
Kevin Creehan, Ph.D., America Makes Deputy Director of Technology Transition, made the announcement on the first day of presentations at the America Makes Spring 2015 Program Review and Members Meeting, which was held on April 14-16, at the Williamson College of Business Administration Conference Center at Youngstown State University (YSU). In attendance for the announcement were UTEP’s Ryan Wicker, Ph.D., P.E., Director and Founder of the Keck Center and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Eric MacDonald, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Director of the Keck Center.
During his remarks, Dr. Creehan said, “Real-world technology transition takes place because of the activities and pursuits that collaborative and symbiotic relationships provide. With this new America Makes Satellite Center model, we are able to expand our current regional, industrial and technological footprint while further maximizing the reach and capabilities of the satellite through enhanced collaboration. We are proud to name America Makes member, The University of Texas at El Paso, as the site for the first America Makes Satellite Center.”
To ensure the long-term success of an expansion, America Makes decided to roll out the strategy as a pilot program, similar to the Institute’s own founding as the pilot Institute for the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) infrastructure. A short list of potential members for consideration for an America Makes Satellite Center was generated and compared to America Makes’ prerequisites and operational requirements. After internal and external vetting and an on-site evaluation, UTEP with its acclaimed W.M. Keck Center for 3-D Innovation was ultimately selected as the pilot America Makes Satellite Center.
“This expansion strategy to establish our first Satellite Center at UTEP marks a new level of national reach for America Makes,” said Ralph Resnick, America Makes Founding Director and NCDMM President and Executive Director. “It also capitalizes on the synergies between America Makes and UTEP’s Keck Center as both of our organizations are dedicated to accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing and 3-D printing technologies to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness.”
“This new relationship is beneficial for both America Makes and UTEP,” said Keck Center Director Ryan Wicker, Ph.D. “UTEP brings an armada of state-of-the-art equipment, cutting edge research, education and workforce training to the partnership, and UTEP stands to benefit from the national and international spotlight on America Makes. NCDMM, the parent organization, has a broad base of defense and industrial partners that will afford UTEP dramatic new opportunities.”
UTEP President Diana Natalicio enthusiastically described the new relationship as “a testament to the preeminence of research underway at UTEP. Exciting new technologies developed on this campus are attracting the attention of the nation and the world.”
Ed Morris, America Makes Director and NCDMM Vice President, added, “On behalf of all of us at America Makes, we are excited to make this announcement as it demonstrates the strength and the success of the collaboration model that America Makes was founded upon. We envision that the America Makes Satellite Center at UTEP’s Keck Center will be the first of many in a future, expansive network of Satellite Centers throughout the country. We look forward to working closely with UTEP and the Keck Center to get the America Makes Satellite Center up and running.”
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.
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 Dr. Wicker, 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.
Currently, UTEP’s Keck Center is leading an America Makes member team, comprised of the University of New Mexico, Youngstown State University, the Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., rp+m, Inc., and Stratasys, Inc., on a $2.2 million award grant to further 3-D printing technologies for rapid manufacturing of aerospace systems.
###
About America Makes
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3-D printing (3DP), 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 and 3DP to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first institute for up to 45 manufacturing innovation institutes to follow and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit http://americamakes.us.
About NCDMM
The NCDMM delivers optimized manufacturing solutions that enhance the quality, affordability, maintainability, and rapid deployment of existing and yet-to-be developed defense systems. This is accomplished through collaboration with government, industry, and academic organizations to promote the implementation of best practices to key stakeholders through the development and delivery of disciplined training, advanced technologies, and methodologies. 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 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 http://utep.edu.
About the W.M. Keck Center for 3-D 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 http://keck.utep.edu.