YSU, Humtown, America Makes Unveil 3-D Printer
LEETONIA, Ohio – Youngstown State University and Humtown Products cut the ribbon today on a state-of-the-art 3D sand printer valued at nearly $1 million that will further advance additive manufacturing in the Mahoning Valley.
The printer, the only one of its kind in the state of Ohio, is housed at Humtown’s new 3D mold manufacturing facility at the Columbiana County Port Authority’s industrial park here. The printer, secured via an Ohio Third Frontier grant to YSU and America Makes, will support the metal casting industry throughout Ohio.
The facility will also serve as a classroom and laboratory for engineering students from YSU and other universities and community colleges in northeast Ohio.
“We are thrilled to partner with Humtown, America Makes and others to bring this cutting-edge manufacturing technology to the region,” YSU President Jim Tressel said.
“Like any good partnership, there are several groups that will benefit from this venture, not the least of which are our YSU students, who will gain hands-on experience working side-by-side with industry and academic experts at this facility.”
Mark Lamoncha, president and chief executive of Humtown, added: “Ahead of technology comes three-dimensional thinking and leadership; that’s the kind of thinking and leadership we are seeing with YSU and America Makes. As a team, including the expertise of YSU faculty and students, we look forward to refining this new technology, making the metal casting industry even stronger.”
Rob Gorham, director of operations at America Makes, said: “The addition of this new equipment demonstrates how the mission of America Makes — working through our partners like YSU and Humtown — continues to expand in the region. America Makes is pleased to have this new capability in Northeast Ohio.”
The S-Max industrial production 3D printer from ExOne, weighing more than 16 tons, prints large, complex sand cores and mold packages directly from CAD (computer-assisted design) data, eliminating the need for physical pattern or tooling.
Lamoncha said the S-Max is one of the largest commercially available printers for sale in the United States. “It will enable industry to respond with ultra-fast product-to-market prototyping and the production of parts that were once considered unable to be manufactured,” he added.
Humtown, a traditional manufacturer to the foundry industry and technology integrator working to bridge the gap of technology, is collaborating with YSU, the Youngstown Business Incubator, the American Foundry Industry, America Makes and the University of Northern Iowa to bring additive manufacturing technology to the forefront of the metal casting industry.
The 2,800-square-foot climate- and humidity-controlled facility in Leetonia was designed to meet production process specifications for the successful operation of the printer.
The facility also houses office space and a 40-seat, auditorium-style training room that will be used to teach the American Foundry Society’s 3D Printing Optimization course. Also included is an area for working with and training YSU students and staff.
TOMORROW: What this means for the region’s leadership in additive manufacturing.
Pictured: Humtown Products President and CEO Mark Lamoncha and YSU Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Brett Conner at the ribbon cutting for Humtown’s new 3-D printers.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
