More than two-thirds of all private-sector research and development comes from manufacturers. Where do they get their inspiration? Partnerships between universities and manufacturers, such as the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Virginia, or CCAM,have played major roles in industrial R&D advancements. A number of major manufacturers, including founding members Rolls-Royce (IW 100/229) North America Inc.,Canon Inc. (IW 1000/86 ), Siemens (IW 1000/26), Newport News Shipbuilding, Aerojet and Sulzer Metco are already taking advantage of CCAM's expertise.
The consortium began research activities in 2011, and the facility is scheduled to open this summer in Prince George County, Va., at Rolls-Royce's Crosspointe plant. CCAM members have the opportunity to work with institutions such as the University of Virginia,Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.
Members can request directed research that eventually becomes a company's intellectual property. The center also conducts generic research in which all members share intellectual property rights.
The promise of IP rights sold Canon on joining the group, while Newport News Shipbuilding joined to take advantage of research that had particular application to its business. "The center's focus aligns well with our needs related to coating technologies and manufacturing processes," explains Matthew Mulherin, president, Newport News Shipbuilding. As a manufacturer of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, coatings are especially important.
Rolls-Royce was the driving force behind CCAM's formation. In 2007 the company was deciding where to locate its new aerospace facility. Rolls-Royce had centers across the United Kingdom that provided cutting-edge research, and the company thought Virginia could provide the same setup. Rolls-Royce modeled CCAM after its Advanced Manufacturing Research Center in Sheffield and Advanced Forming Research Center in Glasgow. "The goal is to create a center of advanced manufacturing that will attract the best and brightest talent," says Lorin Sodell, plant manager, Rolls Royce Crosspointe.
Photo by Chris Oxley, Newport News Shipbuilding.
Bridging Research with Commeiicalization
With competition so fierce, CCAM's goal is to bridge the gap between research and commercialization. The group decided to focus on specific areas. "CCAM research attacks surface coating and manufacturing systems issues common to our members," says David Lohr, CCAM's president and executive director. "With members pooling R&D dollars and conducting research here instead of on their own production lines, CCAM translates laboratory innovation into business improvement faster and more cost effectively than ever before."
Companies located both in Virginia and outside of the state saw the opportunity and jumped in. "The complexity is so enormous that you need a type of environment that, without business pressure, you can think about new ideas, develop new ideas and bring them from an embryonic state to where industry can then take it into production," explains Andreas Saar, vice president of Component Manufacturing Solutions at Siemens PLC Software.
What's in it for the universities? Jobs. In the next five to 10 years, CCAM plans to employ 49 Ph.D researchers, 35 graduate assistants and 35 undergraduate interns. The annual research budget is expected to be between $15 and 20 million. "CCAM will serve as a conduit for technologies and people to enter industry in a more effective way," says Barry Johnson, senior associate dean for research at the University of Virginia Engineering School. "In CCAM, we will have a mechanism for testing new technologies on an industrial scale."
At present CCAM has approved $750,000 in research at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The four approved projects encompass research in adaptive machining, human factors and knowledge capture, multi-modal part inspection, and surface characterization.
"This is the first step for what will result in transformational manufacturing solutions for our members to reduce costs and improve quality of their products," says Charles Smith, CCAM's chief technology officer for research and program development.
As companies see the value created, Lohr is hoping to turn Virginia into a leading center for advanced manufacturing. As Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said at the groundbreaking ceremony for CCAM's building in March 2011, "Global dynamics will always influence where products are made, and CCAM's collaborative, creative approach to advanced manufacturing techniques gives the Commonwealth a leadership role in determining how the world's most advanced products are made."
