Auburn is one of eight universities in the world chosen by General Electric to participate in the GE Additive Education Program. Auburn was selected from more than 250 applicants for ints additive manufacturing curriculum and research initiatives in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.
According to a GE, the program offers a wide span of metal additive manufacturing machines, materials and engineering solutions to customers in many industries including aerospace, medical, automotive and luxury goods.
Tony Overfelt, director at the Center for Industrialized Additive Manufacturing and professor of materials engineering, said the machine is intended to support Auburn's growing program in education and research involving additive manufacturing.
The technology will be available for senior design projects, activities for industry and government clients, Overfelt said.
“Additive manufacturing and 3-D printing
GE will provide 50 metal additive machines, investing $8 million over five years in higher educational institutions around the world. Each printer is valued at $250,000.
"Students trained in this technology are in high demand across industry and agencies for positions in manufacturing, product design and R&D," Overfelt said.
Auburn will be given a state-of-the-art Concept Laser MLAB 100R metal printer to continue already initiated research in 3-D printing. 3-D printing or additive manufacturing involves fabricating parts layer-by-layer by a computer-aided design model. This process reduces average waste and increases productivity. Parts are lighter and more durable.
"With the ability to create highly complex parts in a fraction of the time, additive technology is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and creating new opportunities for engineers to explore," wrote Chris Anthony, 
GE has begun work with additive manufacturing in Auburn at Technology Park West. Auburn's faculty are researching ways to use this technology to build advanced rocket engines for space expeditions and medical implants for surgery.
Auburn's new Center for Industrialized Additive Manufacturing has hired internationally known faculty to work in the growing field. Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory has been recently renovated to house research in additive manufacturing.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
