Wraps Coming Off of $50M Indiana Manufacturing Institute

The institute is located in the Purdue Research Park.

Purdue University will today toast the opening of the $50 million Indiana Manufacturing Institute. Purdue says the facility, which is part of a $259 million U.S. Department of Energy initiative, helps boost its standing as a global leader in composite material research. These materials are used in place of traditional materials like metals from products ranging from sporting goods to airplanes.

In an interview last October in our INdiana Connections advanced manufacturing and logistics industry newsletter, John Leighton Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering Byron Pipes said composites continue to be appealing to auto manufacturers. Pipes leads the Purdue Design, Modeling and Simulation Enabling Technology Center located in the 62,000 square-foot institute. Composite materials can be used to reduce weight, often helping with energy efficiency. Other sectors using the materials include aerospace and energy. He told reporter Kylie Veleta a key for manufacturers is developing methods that meet the speeds of today’s production demands.

Pipes says "the research conducted by faculty, staff and students in the institute will be structured to serve advanced composite materials R&D, and collaborating with the many industries using these technologies is a seamless transition. That is because advanced composite materials have broad, proven applications because of their lightweight properties and proven strength and durability while also remaining elastic. The Boeing 787 commercial airplane is a wonderful example of what this technology can achieve."

Officials broke ground last June on the project. Purdue says it expects more than 300 attendees at the 2 p.m. Tuesday event at Purdue Research Park, including representatives from some 20 Indiana composite materials companies.