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National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute Launched |
Posted on: 8/15/2012 12:00:00 AM... The Obama Administration announced the launch of a new public-private institute for manufacturing innovation in Youngstown, Ohio, on August 16. Known as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), the consortium was selected through a competitive process, led by the Department of Defense, to receive an initial $30 million award in federal funding, matched by $40 million from NAMII partner organizations. NAMII is led by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, and encompasses more than 60 organizations, including manufacturing companies, universities, community colleges and non-profit organizations hailing from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
In March of this year, President Barack Obama announced a plan to invest $1 billion to catalyze a national network of up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes around the United States, calling on Congress to create the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). He also announced steps to launch a pilot institute to serve as a proof of concept of this initiative. In response, five federal agencies—the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and NASA—jointly committed to invest $45 million in a pilot institute on additive manufacturing.
As the winning consortium named as this pilot institute, NAMII has been developed to bridge the gap between basic research and product development for additive manufacturing, provide shared assets to help companies--particularly small manufacturers—access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an environment to educate and train workers in advanced additive manufacturing skills.
Additive manufacturing, often referred to as 3D printing, entails making products and components from a digital model, and will have implications in a wide range of industries including defense, aerospace, automotive, and metals manufacturing. The U.S. Department of Defense has stated that it envisions customizing parts on site for operational systems that would otherwise be expensive to make or ship. The U.S. Department of Energy has indicated that it anticipates that additive processes would be able to save more than 50 percent energy use, compared to today’s traditional manufacturing processes.
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