National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII)
President Obama announced, August 16, 2012, the launch of new federal initiative as a part of his administration's efforts to revitalize the manufacturing of the nation (Ref1,Ref2). The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), a consortium of manufacturing firms, universities, community colleges, and non-profit organizations from the Ohio-Pennsylvania-West Virginia 'Tech Belt,' was selected as the recipient of $30 million federal funding.
The Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, is pleased to be a member of the NAMII*, along with our close industrial partners Kent Displays, Inc. and AlphaMicron, Inc. Additive manufacturing is a new concept of manufacturing to build products from the bottom by adding right materials at a right place and at a right time. Printed electronics embracing the flexible displays and devices is a real world example of the additive manufacturing. As opposed to the conventional - subtractive- manufacturing that cuts and mills the material into desired parts, the additive manufacturing can save materials and reduce wastes, and eventually makes the manufacturing process flexible and personalized. Additive manufacturing is often regarded as a synonym of 3D printing, but it may cover and revolutionize much broader range of technologies including such a material innovation as self-organizing or self-assembling materials. The width of membership of NAMII is an indication of high expectation as well as its extended technological horizon.
*) NAMII is led by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, and includes:
40 Companies: Allegheny Technologies, AlphaMicron, Applied Systems and Technology Transfer, Autodesk, Boeing, Catalyst Connection, Energy Industries of Ohio, ExOne, FMW Composites, General Dynamics, General Electric, Honeywell, IBM, Johnson Controls, Kennametal, Kent Displays, Laser Technology Assts, Lockheed Martin, Lubrizol, M-7 Technologies, MicroFab Technologies, Morris, Northrop Grumman, nScrypt, OSRAM Sylvania, Optomec, Oxford Performance Materials, Paramount Industries / 3D Systems, Parker Hannifin, Plextronix, POM, RTI, Ruger, Sciaky, Stratasys, Stratonics, Timken, Touchstone Research Lab, Westinghouse Nuclear, Wohlers Associates
9 Research Universities: Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, Lehigh University, Penn State University, Robert Morris University, University of Akron, University of Pittsburgh, Youngstown State University
5 Community Colleges: Eastern Gateway Community College, Lorain County Community College, Northampton Community College, Penn College of Technology, Westmoreland County Community College
11 Non-Profit Organizations: Association for Manufacturing Technology, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, JumpStart Ohio, Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, MT Connect, NorTech, National Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Consortium, Ohio Aerospace Institute, Robert C. Byrd Institute, the Youngstown Business Incubator, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Hiroshi Yokoyama 2012/8/16