UK Celebrates Opening of Engineering Lab Designed to Advance US Manufacturing

In Lexington, Kentucky, the University of Kentucky’s Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering celebrated the opening of a new engineering lab designed to advance US manufacturing. The Next Generation Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory (NextGen AMRL) will serve as a hub for advanced research and innovation in manufacturing.

Enhancing the Future of Manufacturing

The NextGen AMRL is supported by a three-way partnership between the University of Kentucky (UK), the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL). This partnership was established through a five-year, $50 million collaboration, aimed at improving U.S. manufacturing capabilities.

UK President Eli Capilouto stated, “As an institution driven by discovery and innovation, we are dedicated to advancing our community and the world. Through this partnership, we can harness our top talents to turn groundbreaking research into real-world solutions — achieving far more collectively than we ever could alone.”

The Future of Manufacturing with NextGen AMRL

The NextGen AMRL is designed to embrace innovation with advanced additive and hybrid manufacturing machines, material characterization equipment, and systems aiding collaborative research. Drawing from these resources, researchers are set to redefine the boundaries of innovation in advanced additive manufacturing.

“The NextGen AMRL is a prime example of the type of cutting-edge, collaborative research happening in the UK Pigman College of Engineering,” said Rudy Buchheit, Ph.D., the Dr. Rebecca Burchett Liebert Dean of the Pigman College of Engineering.

Implications on the Defense and Civilian Sector

Researchers at the NextGen AMRL will work on creating novel materials processing and manufacturing technologies in aim to produce high quality products and components for both the Department of Defense (DOD) and civilian use.

Senator Mitch McConnell said, “Kentucky has a long history supporting our nation’s defense and this new lab at the University of Kentucky stands to deepen our state’s important role in America’s national security. I’ve been proud to secure nearly $25 million in federal funding to resource this project and support UK’s leadership in this space.”

Boosting the Economy

In addition to achieving strategic research goals, the project also promises to make substantial investments in the regional economy. I.S. Jawahir, director of ISM, noted, “The new project will provide tremendous opportunities for the state of Kentucky and the surrounding region.”

The UK team has identified three primary research areas: advanced additive manufacturing; novel materials development; and modeling and manufacturing processes for extreme environments, such as hypersonic applications.

In addition to this, it is also working closely with Flash Steelworks, a new multimillion-dollar plant in Bell County, Kentucky, dedicated to a novel material processing method called “Flash Processing” which uses new nano-structured metal alloys, and advanced composite materials.

This breakthrough in advanced manufacturing holds a strong promise for not only revolutionizing the technological landscape but also contributing effectively to the economic growth and national security of the country.