Purdue to house $50 million Indiana Mfg. Institute

 

West Lafayette, Indiana – The Purdue Research Foundation's Board of Directors on Feb. 18, 2015, approved construction of the $50 million, 62,000ft² Indiana Manufacturing Institute, where Purdue University researchers will expand research of composite materials manufacturing.

 

"Purdue is a recognized leader in composite materials, and the research that will be carried out in this new facility will advance this important technology for the new industries developing in Indiana," said R. Byron Pipes, the John Leighton Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Purdue and director for the new Purdue/state of Indiana center. "Advanced composite materials have broad, proven applications because of their lightweight properties and unusually high stiffness and strength. The Boeing 787 commercial airplane is a wonderful example of what this technology can achieve.

 

"These materials are used to make lighter-weight automotive vehicles, aircraft, wind turbines, natural gas storage tanks, and other products. Our primary goals in this research include the design and simulation of the manufacturing processes, validation of simulation at the lab scale, 3D printing of composites, and development of recycling uses of leftover materials."

 

The Purdue Research Park-based institute will engage Purdue faculty, including about 10 engineers and a number of graduate students, to work in the research areas that will initially occupy up to 30,000ft² in the new park facility.

 

The institute will lease space in the new building, as will industries that wish to locate near this new enterprise. In partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, an expenditure of almost $35 million in research equipment and materials in the institute is expected over the next five years, funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy. Purdue Research Foundation will invest $15 million in the construction of the building on property that is partly owned by the City of West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission and is being donated to the Purdue Research Foundation by the commission. The foundation already owns the remainder of the land for the development.

 

"The donation of this land is a long-term investment in our economic growth as the Indiana Manufacturing Institute will be an important asset for future recruitment and expansion for our city," said John Dennis, West Lafayette mayor. "That means more high-tech, well-paying jobs for our residents." 

 

The new institute is slated to open in 2016 and is part of a $259 million five-year national initiative called the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). The institute is funded through $70 million from the Department of Energy and $189 million pledged by industry, states and universities. The goal is to develop the manufacturing technology for more energy-efficient vehicles, compressed-gas storage, and wind energy systems.

 

"The Purdue Research Park supports startups and established companies that have an affiliation with Purdue University, and the construction of the new facility expands the park's role even more because of the collaborative opportunity it provides for Purdue innovators," said Dan Hasler, president of Purdue Research Foundation. "We believe this institute will be a magnet to private manufacturers that wish to locate near this unique capability."

 

This research institute will be working with materials that will have very high impact in many industries such as aerospace, aviation, automotive, energy, and sporting equipment.

 

"These are the industries we invite to consider a presence in the Indiana Manufacturing Institute at Purdue Research Park," Hasler said.

 

Source: Purdue University