Purdue Opens Composites Manufacturing Research Facility

Perdue University celebrated the opening of its $50 million Indiana Manufacturing Institute at the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, IN on Tuesday, which will house the institution’s Center for Composites Manufacturing and Simulation.

“Purdue is a recognized international leader in composite materials research and the opportunity and demand for research partnerships between Perdue and industry is great,” Suresh Garimella, executive vice president for research and partnerships at Perdue, said in a press release issued Tuesday. “The opening of the Indiana Manufacturing Institute will enable us to increase these research collaborations and advance our composite materials research even further.”

About 300 people and representatives from about 20 Indiana composite materials companies were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the center, which was developed as part of a $250 million initiative by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in support of President Barack Obama’s National Network of Manufacturing Innovation.

The DOE’s project, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, is a five-year public-private collaboration, which includes a $70 million commitment by the federal government and $180 million from industry, state economic development agencies, and institutions of higher learning.

“It is through closer exchanges of knowledge that both industrial and academic enterprises benefit from the assets of the other in order to accelerate the development of their competitive positions,” said R. Byron Pipes, who will lead Purdue’s Design, Modeling, and Simulation Enabling Technology Area at the new center, in the release.

25% of Indiana’s economy is made up from advanced manufacturing, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

“The state of Indiana has a strong background in composite materials research, development and manufacturing, with about 50 companies across the state contributing to the sector,” state Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith said. “There is little doubt that our state’s economic leadership in composite materials has a direct impact on the fact that Indiana continues to grow its national reputation in advanced manufacturing job growth.”