Funds will Purchase Innovative New 3D Printer for Additive Manufacturing Instructional and Training Laboratory

Cleveland State University’s Washkewicz College of Engineering will receive $250,000 from a $750,000 Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills (RAPIDS) grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. CSU was the lead applicant for a regionally aligned Advanced Manufacturing Proposal, which also included funding requests Lorain County Community College, Cuyahoga Community College and North Central State College. The goal of the proposal is to address the current and growing regional opportunities within the advanced manufacturing sector.

CSU’s portion of the grant will be used to purchase an innovative new 3D printer based on PolyJet technology, which features the ability to print a large variety of materials with flexible colors, as well as mixed materials, in one printing session.

“This new 3D printer will greatly enhance both the educational and research capabilities of our lab,” said Dr. Tushar Borkar, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Additive Manufacturing Instructional and Training Laboratory. “We are very excited to add this new technology to our lab, learn its capabilities and share our new knowledge with students and the community.”

CSU will support this grant by developing advanced courses using this new manufacturing technology, sponsoring faculty to attend educational conferences and seminars specializing in additive manufacturing, compensating part-time faculty from industry with expertise in additive manufacturing, marketing the Additive Manufacturing Instructional and Training Laboratory to local and regional industry and supporting technicians in maintaining the equipment. Through all of these efforts, CSU will be a leader in training both students and professionals on additive manufacturing technology.

“We are very excited and grateful to the Ohio Department of Higher Education for their generous grant in support of our additive manufacturing laboratory,” said Dr. Anette Karlsson, Dean of the Washkewicz of Engineering. “We believe there is tremendous economic development potential in Northeast Ohio in this sector, and we look forward to utilizing this technology to support that effort.”   

The printer will be housed in Additive Manufacturing Instructional and Training Laboratory, which is located in the Washkewicz College of Engineering, Fenn Hall Room 424.  This laboratory is currently home to seven 3D polymer printers. In addition, the College has two Optomec Aerosol Jet 200 electronic 3D printers, which are used to print multi-layer electronic circuits using conductive inks. All of these printers were purchased as a result of an earlier grant received by the Ohio Board of Regents.