Ohio State announced on Wednesday they would lead a new engineering research center focusing on advanced manufacturing. Credit: Madison Kinner | Assistant Campus Editor
Ohio State will lead a new research center focusing on advanced manufacturing, which could be one of largest research investments in the last decade for the university, according to a Wednesday news release.
According to the news release, The National Science Foundation announced funding for the Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, Moving from Evolution to Revolution Engineering Research Center. The foundation will provide $26 million in funding for five years. The university and NSF have the ability to renew funding for an additional $26 million for five more years.
HAMMER will work to design new ways of manufacturing metallics and other components in a cheaper and more sustainable way, according to its website.
According to its website, HAMMER first looks at artisan processes — such as blacksmithing — and will use artificial intelligence to develop autonomous manufacturing systems that will enhance the performance and quality of the supply chain. The program will also help educate the next generation of the manufacturing workforce.
Ohio State will partner with Case Western Reserve University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Northwestern University and the University of Tennessee to create these new technologies, according to the release.
According to the release, a special emphasis will be placed on urban, military and Appalachian communities in the educational pipeline program.
University President Kristina M. Johnson said in the release the center will help improve manufacturing in the U.S.
“This transformation investment for Ohio State is about much more than research, though that alone is certainly significant,” Johnson said. “It’s about enhancing U.S. innovation and reclaiming our nation’s position as a leader in domestic manufacturing.”
Through the center and its partnership network, everyone from pre-college individuals to practicing engineers can train at the center, according to the release.
Grace Wang, executive vice president of research, innovation and knowledge at Ohio State, said in the release the HAMMER Engineering Research Center will have a major impact on manufacturing technologies.
“HAMMER is one of the most significant, high-impact, large-scale research centers to be established at Ohio State,” Wang said. “It will advance the current state of manufacturing technologies by uniting design, tools, intelligence and computational materials engineering into a single framework and providing new opportunities to commercialize research.”
