Close Window Return to UWM News Page
Issued by: Laura L. Hunt
Phone: 414-229-6447
llhunt@uwm.edu
March 22, 2005
Close Window Return to UWM News Page
Issued by: Laura L. Hunt
Phone: 414-229-6447
llhunt@uwm.edu
March 22, 2005
Pradeep Rohatgi
MILWAUKEE — Research into the rapid manufacture of lightweight materials for military vehicles and also for health care applications could be the key to revitalizing Wisconsin’s significant foundry industry, say materials engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) where such research is ongoing.
Foundries across the country are closing at a rate of about one a week, with jobs going to countries where labor is cheaper. The trend is harming Wisconsin’s economy, where foundries still employ about 21,000 people, says Pradeep Rohatgi, Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Engineering and director of UWM’s Composites Center. Only Ohio has more foundries than Wisconsin.
“The only way to keep foundries viable is to help them develop fast-track technologies to manufacture components from advanced lightweight materials,” Rohatgi says. “These include composites, foams, and nanostructured materials.”
These processes will enable the industries to manufacture components for both military and civilian use much more rapidly than foreign competitors can. In fact, says Rohatgi, officials with the U.S. Army want the capability of quickly producing replacement parts for vehicles while on the battlefield.
Encouraged by the Army, UWM recently has applied for $3 million in federal grants which will allow the research to continue and foundries to invest in these rapid manufacturing processes. A number of these companies already have been suppliers of defense components.
Besides metal components, UWM would expand the development of quick manufacturing technologies to include lightweight materials for bone replacement implants and tissue scaffolds, improving the treatment of wounded soldiers in mobile environments.
This year, UWM received a half million dollars in federal money to develop lighter, stiffer, and stronger materials to meet the U.S. Army’s need for vehicles that can be airlifted and operate for prolonged periods without refueling. The new materials, being produced in partnership with several Wisconsin industries, will reduce the weight of trucks, tanks and helicopters by 20 to 40 percent.
The 2006 funding request will build on that research by focusing on the production of those materials. In the short term, the project will create about 200 new jobs and involve about 20 foundries in Wisconsin and about 10 in Michigan.
Wisconsin companies that would be involved in the rapid-manufacturing project include:
Oshkosh Truck, Ladish, Metal Technologies, Eaton, Harley Davidson, Falk, Motor Castings, ECK Industries, A.O. Smith, Stroh Die Casting, Westwood Aluminum, Est, Norstar Aluminum, Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Amcast, Signicast, Stainless Foundry, Grede, Neenah, Joymark, Maynard Steel, Waukesha Foundry, Madison Kipp, Thermal Spray, Stork, Wisconsin Invest Cast, Badger Mining, Milwaukee Ductile Iron, GE Medical, KEEL Associates, Johnson and Johnson, and Johnson Wax.
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Rapid Prototyping Center, and Marquette University’s biomedical engineering department also are likely to be involved in the project.
Also, UWM would be in a unique position to train students in state-of-the-art foundry processes, says Rohatgi. The university offers one of only three materials engineering undergraduate degrees in the state with an emphasis on metal-casting and foundry science. It is the only foundry science program in the state that offers a doctoral degree and scholarships.
The UWM Composites Center conducts research in three areas: development of composite materials, metal-casting processes and tribology (for measuring friction, lubrication and wear-resistance). It has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense, and leading corporations. The center has helped foundries in Wisconsin to become suppliers of high-tech composite castings.
###