PAST & CSCC Awarded NSF Grant
The PAST Foundation and Columbus State Community College were recently awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) grant titled Design Thinking – Additive Manufacturing Summer Institute. The three-year program will chart pathways for high school age students to pursue careers in Additive Manufacturing (AM) (commonly referred to as 3D printing) through immersive summer experiences, early college course credit, certification, and internships. AM is an emerging technology within the broader field of Advanced Manufacturing. AM technologies span plastic 3D printing, direct laser metal sintering, and ultrasonic 3D metal printing. The demand for careers in Advanced Manufacturing, including AM technologies, is projected to expand rapidly in the next few years. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis reports employment in the field of Advanced Manufacturing totals 685,000 employees. This number is certain to grow quickly as lower technology costs drive broader adoption.
Through programs like Design Thinking – Additive Manufacturing Summer Institute, the next generation of manufacturing engineers, technicians, and specialists will emerge filling the increasing job demand. The following selection provides a brief overview of AM topics to learn more about the growth of AM.
Starting Down the Path of a Career in Additive Manufacturing
The Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals Certification and Additive Manufacturing Technician Certification (coming soon) are stackable, creating a flexible, modular pathway for mastering the principles and processes of additive manufacturing.
The certifications align to the Additive Manufacturing Body of Knowledge compiled by Tooling U-SME, America Makes, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC), and Technician Education in Additive Manufacturing & Materials (TEAMM), with input from more than 500 additive manufacturing professionals.
It is ideal for individuals working in or seeking to work in additive manufacturing roles in automotive, aerospace, and medical equipment. It is also ideal for high schools and colleges as a capstone or standalone achievement to increase workforce readiness in additive manufacturing.
The additive manufacturing industry is expected to grow exponentially, with the global value of the industry estimated to reach over $10 billion by 2021. Certification in Additive Manufacturing prepares individuals for success in this rapidly growing field.
Partners in Additive Manufacturing
EWI brings together an unmatched, diverse, and solution-focused team of experts in 3D printing (i.e., Additive Manufacturing) processes and design; and supporting engineers and scientists from disciplines such as fusion and solid state welding technologies (laser, arc, ultrasonic, friction), materials science, process sensing and controls, non-destructive evaluation, modeling and simulation, and structural mechanics. EWI’s metal 3D printing process capabilities include laser and electron beam powder bed fusion, laser and arc directed energy deposition, binder jetting, and access to ultrasonic additive manufacturing through our affiliate Fabrisonic. EWI also has consumer and industrial grade polymer 3D printers for prototyping and studying design for Additive Manufacturing. In addition to process technologies, EWI possesses powder and surface characterization capabilities, metallurgical characterization, mechanical testing, NDE capabilities, and will be installing powder production, x-ray computed tomography, and large-scale deposition facilities in the next 12 months.
The combination of expertise and equipment is focused on solving technical challenges and innovation in six primary areas: material/process development, process sensing and control, post process inspection, advancing Additive Manufacturing processes/machines, supporting property database generation, and design for Additive Manufacturing.
EWI also provides industry support through our Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC), which provides thought leadership and conducts collaborative sponsored projects to solve common challenges in metal Additive Manufacturing.
Additive Manufacturing Research and Application in Central Ohio
The following companies and organizations are a sample of those actively researching or applying Additive Manufacturing in central Ohio:
Aerosport Battelle EWI Fabrisonic Honda R&D IC3D OSU Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence PolymerOhio Worthington Industries