3D Metal Printing Project Rekindles West Virginia's Manufacturing Legacy
2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 57; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1930-0166
Autores Tópico(s)Research, Science, and Academia
ResumoWest Virginia is steeped in manufacturing tradition. Thousands of finished products were once designed and produced here and then shipped out to national and international markets. But as foreign competition increased and demand dropped, the region's tradition of making things dwindled. Now, however, a new partnership involving the US Department of Defense, one of the state's major universities, a defense contractor, and a nonprofit organization dedicated to manufacturing innovation is seeking to rekindle the state's manufacturing legacy by offering a new generation of manufacturing innovators access to sophisticated 3D metal printing equipment. West Virginia is perhaps best known as an energy state where coal was king. However, it was also home to a once-thriving range of manufacturing industries that produced glass, cut nails, chemicals, steel, plumbing fixtures, rayon, synthetic dyes and other popular consumables. Its landscape was also once dotted with machine and fabrication shops. But many of those enterprises are long gone. According to the International Trade Administration, between 1990 and 2009 alone, manufacturing employment declined by 38 percent in West Virginia. Recently, the state's effort to attract new industries has yielded some success. A number of aerospace companies have facilities in West Virginia, including Bombardier Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, Goodrich Corporation, ATK, Alliant Techsystems, and FCX Systems. Leading automotive companies, among them Toyota, Diamond Electric, NGK Spark Plugs, Sogefi, and Okuno International, have also made significant investments in the state. The challenge now is to encourage the growth of those companies, and the local companies that support them, with opportunities for technology innovation. The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI), based at Marshall University, is a key player in the drive for a manufacturing turnaround in West Virginia. It supports job creation, economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurship by supporting manufacturing companies of all sizes. Some of the services it offers include access to cutting-edge equipment, specialized training, networking, quality management implementation, and federal procurement contract assistance. leaders hope their new $750,000 3D metal printer will be a key part of the overall effort to support manufacturing in West Virginia. The 3D metal system joins an array of thermoplastic and polymer systems already available at for time-share use through leasing. The EOSINT M 280 3D metal printer was installed at RCBI's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center in South Charleston, West Virginia, with support from the US Navy, defense contractor ATK, and Marshall University. The direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS) system creates products from powdered metals, including titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, maraging steel, cobalt chrome, and Inconel (a high-nickel alloy), using a sophisticated laser-layering process that builds up parts layer by layer. The solid-state laser melts fine metal powders. The process speeds production time and allows the creation of extremely complex, lightweight parts. Because the machine prints directly from CAD files, design or manufacturing problems can be quickly identified and easily corrected. RCBI's CEO, Charlotte Weber, said the 3D metal printing project builds upon the Institute's experience with industrial prototyping and an existing partnership with the US Navy: RCBI has a solid, long-standing relationship with the US Navy that resulted in the Navy helping us purchase and place the 3D metal printer at our South Charleston facility, she explained. In addition to delivering machinist skills to Naval reservists, operated a shop that served as the only joint public/private engineering prototyping facility in West Virginia supporting prototype development and technical training requirements for the DoD and its suppliers. …
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