The University of Texas at Austin unveiled its new Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation (CAMDI), a 3,000 square foot facility that will support the university’s research and education missions.
“As the birthplace for selective laser sintering, the [Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering] assumed an early leadership role,” Cockrell School Dean Sharon L. Wood said at the virtual launch event. “Since we have this strong tie to SLS… the faculty has led research efforts that really expand the field from material innovations to process innovations and control. This newly renovated and modernized facility represents the next step in our commitment to grow and advance additive manufacturing in research and innovation.”
This is not the university’s first 3D printing facility. In 2014, the Cockrell School of Engineering opened an undergraduate makerspace. Now known as Texas Inventionworks, it gives students and faculty access to FDM printers such as the Craftbot XL as well as similar SLS, SLA and metal 3D printers.
What distinguishes CAMDI from Texas Inventionworks is its collection of industrial-grade additive manufacturing equipment. A Sinterstation HiQ+HS selective laser sintering (SLS) anchors the Polymer Powder Bed Fusion Lab. The Liquid Polymer Laboratory uses a Stratasys J750 jetting resin printer to print models of body parts as well as a 3D Systems SLA 5000 stereolithography printer for more traditional prototyping. CAMDI researchers will be able to use an EOSINT M280 direct metal sintering system in the Metal Powder Bed Fusion Lab to produce near full density metal parts.
CAMDI operations manager Jared Allison told The Daily Texan that the center goes beyond the makerspace’s focus on students “to bridge that gap and allow people in the Cockrell School to be able to access these industry-quality machines to be able to actually manufacture parts if they need them.”
Building an Additive Manufacturing Workforce
The opening of CAMDI adds to a major trend in higher education of expanding 3D printing resources beyond prototyping tools. In part, these centers give university scientists access to better tools for their own research. But additive manufacturing centers play a crucial role in preparing students for the modern workplace. HP’s general manager of 3D plastic systems, Ramon Pastor, wrote in EdTech Magazine that “Demand for students who can ‘think in 3D’ will become increasingly urgent as the adoption of 3D printing accelerates.”
The business consultancy Deloitte came to similar conclusions when it examined the role of universities in advanced manufacturing. The study found that, given the rapid pace of technological change, businesses are struggling to hire skilled workers. “For every one material scientist,” an industry insider told Deloitte, “I need 20 more designers, engineers, and other people knowledgeable about AM.”
The study’s authors recommended that universities “target the establishment of centers of excellence that showcase cutting-edge technology to students, staff, and local industry.” Building on its legacy in 3D printing, the Cockrell School is giving students and researchers at the University of Texas access to just that kind of cutting-edge technology.
