America Makes announced 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 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.
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.
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