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V O L . X X V N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 22 G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E Putting pedal to the metal in Orono O R O N O — University of Maine undergraduate Alex Watson looks forward to work- ing on his senior team project using new 3D metal printing equipment on campus. "This is going to be the inaugural year of using this technology, and I'm excited to see how that pans out," the mechanical engineering major said of his work at the Center for Additive Manufacturing of Metals. It officially opened in late July with three machines from Desktop Metal, a Burlington, Mass., venture capital-backed startup on MIT Technology Review's 2017 Smartest Companies list. Orono's new 3D metal printing center, one of the first at a U.S. university, isn't just for academic purposes. It's also for businesses, including 35 companies that pitched in to fund the $1 million center. It's housed at the school's Advanced Manufacturing Center. Donors included GE Power in Bangor, which contributed $79,600, and Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, $50,000. Two companies, Hussey Seating Co. in North Berwick and Fiber Materials Inc. in Biddeford, donated $10,000 apiece. Some of the partner companies have com- mitted to buying a certain dollar amount of trial parts made at the center over a three-year period. Additional funding came from the Maine Technology Institute, through a cluster initiative program grant of nearly $500,000, with matching funds from UMaine and companies. Some of the funding is con- sidered part of a match for a recent $750,000 federal grant for the Advanced Manufacturing Center. Besides making parts with reduced lead times and in smaller batches, the metal manufacturing center will work with partner companies to test and conduct research into the process. Orders already completed include grippers and coating cell masks for GE Power and pieces for a chair assembly system for Hussey Seating it wants to test before spending a lot on an expensive casting tool. John Belding, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Center, sees great prom- ise for the new system, which fuses smaller metal particles together through 3D printing to form solid metal objects. "This technology is a keeper," he said. Benefits include reduced lead times to make parts, the ability to produce in small, easily customizable lot sizes so companies pay only for the parts they need, and lower costs for setup, materials and labor than other methods. Belding said the idea for the metal manufacturing center originated about two years ago. "We looked at, 'How can we move the ball forward to make companies comfortable with the technology and understand it without spending a huge amount of money?'" he said. Longer-term ambitions Now that the center is up and running, the goal is to get the word out to businesses across the state about using the new technology to speed up development of metal tools, fixtures and complex shapes and parts. "We take your core concepts and work out the details of how to build it," says a promotional brochure. "No idea is too big or too small." Brett Ellis, assistant professor of electrical engineering technology, is enthusi- astic about the research possibilities offered by the center. "What will separate us from others is the research and education piece," he said. "The next question is design, and how do you make this stuff work? We all have the expertise and the skill sets to make this happen." Northern Maine roundup Manufacturing innovation, nursing education and a $74M bridge replacement project B y r e n e e c o r d e S F O C U S This technology is a keeper. — John Belding UMaine Advanced Manufacturing Center P H O T O S / C O U R T E S Y U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A I N E Alexander Watson (left), a mechanical engineering major at UMaine, researches 3D metal printing at the new Center for Additive Manufacturing of Metals. The center is led by the Advanced Manufacturing Center's director John Belding (right) and Brett Ellis, assistant professor of electrical engineering technology. John Belding and Alexander Watson watch the 3D printing of metal objects.

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