RIT unveils new product realization lab

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Elizabeth Lamark/RIT Production Services

Rochester Institute of Technology has unveiled a multimillion-dollar, high-tech lab designed to help companies and innovators convert their ideas into concepts and ultimately new products.

Rochester Institute of Technology today unveiled a multimillion-dollar, high-tech lab designed to help companies and independent innovators convert their ideas into prototypes and ultimately new products.

The new Digital Manufacturing and Product Realization Lab, located on the fourth floor of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS), is a collaborative makers facility that features state-of-the-art equipment and leverages the extensive resources and experience of RIT research scientists and sustainability experts.

University, business and political officials heralded the opening of the estimated $3 million lab during a ceremony held inside GIS in conjunction with Manufacturing Day, an annual event held across the nation to demonstrate the potential of modern manufacturing and foster interest in manufacturing careers.

“This highly sophisticated lab will enable manufacturers to streamline their development process, promote U.S.-based supply chains and help boost the growth of manufacturing both regionally and nationally,” said Nabil Nasr, associate provost and director of GIS. “Our facility will also serve as a focal point for New York state manufacturers seeking to evaluate and apply new digital manufacturing technologies.”

Digital manufacturing is the use of an integrated, computer-based system comprised of simulation, 3D visualization, analytics and various collaboration tools to create product and manufacturing process definitions simultaneously. Earlier this year, RIT was named a core partner in a new national consortium designed to help transform and bring innovations to U.S. manufacturing as part of the nation’s first Digital Manufacturing and Design Institute.

About the Digital Manufacturing and Product Realization Lab

The new lab occupies nearly 3,300 square feet of space inside the GIS building. Additional heavy fabrication equipment is available in a bay area inside the adjacent Louise M. Slaughter Hall, which houses RIT’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS).

It took nearly half a year to design the lab’s capabilities after GIS researchers looked around the country to benchmark the facility against how similar labs are run.

Key lab capabilities include design and simulation, prototype fabrication and product inspection, along with testing and validation. The facility will include three machine tools and four workstations for computer-aided design drawings and analysis. In addition, resident design and materials expertise will support the application of 3D printing technologies in plastic and metal, including the unique Optomec LENS technology—a high-power laser used to fuse powdered metals into fully dense, three-dimensional structures.

The laser equipment was part of technology demonstrations held at the lab’s opening, which included a number of Rochester-area manufacturers already lining up to work with RIT researchers at the lab. The lab’s metal printing and electronic benches will also enable companies to make custom circuit boards and other specialized parts.

“Our collaborative makers facility is distinctive in that it will provide support from a team of full-time research scientists with more than 250 combined years of product design and development experience,” Nasr observed.

The addition to GIS will be able to accommodate up to five company projects simultaneously, he added.

While the lab will provide specialized fabrication equipment for low-volume prototypes, RIT researchers will provide companies direct access to a regional manufacturing base capable of supporting a rapid scale-up in production.

In addition to Regional Technology Development Centers and technology incubators across the state, the lab will be an additional asset and resource to RIT’s Center of Excellence in Sustainable Manufacturing, also housed within GIS. The research and technology transfer activities conducted by the Center, established in 2012, enable New York companies to compete more effectively in global markets as the environment for manufacturing competitiveness increases with the emphasis on sustainable manufacturing products and processes.

About the Golisano Institute for Sustainability

GIS was established in 2007 with a $10 million gift from Paychex Inc. founder and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano. RIT was awarded a $13.1 million grant by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Construction Grant Program, and $15 million in funding from the state of New York that was used toward construction of the facility and equipment, including some now occupying the new lab.

Partners and affiliates include Xerox Corp., Staples Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Eastman Kodak, and Rochester Midland Corp., with support from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Helen and Ritter Shumway Foundation, and the Chester F. and Dorris Carlson Charitable Trust.

Officials from across the state are praising RIT and the university’s new lab for its major focus on technology and product development, technology transfer and economic development potential. To read their responses, go to the "Officials herald opening of new RIT lab at Golisano Institute for Sustainability" article.

For information on the lab, go to the Golisano Institute of Sustainability website.