3D Printing

Rochester Institute of Tech To House 3D Printing R&D Center

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 09/02/15

3D printing and additive manufacturing will be the prime topic of research and development at a new center opening at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing (AMPrint) Center will draw participation from multiple university and corporate partners. Funding is coming from Empire State Development, New York's state economic development agency.

The state's Centers for Advanced Technology program, which selected the institute from a number of applicants to lead the new center, is designed to spur technology-based applied research and economic development in New York.

The new center will be eligible to receive $921,000 each year for up to 10 years if it passes annual performance evaluations. Participants in the venture include Clarkson University and State University of New York at New Paltz as well as Xerox, GE Research, Corning, Eastman Kodak and Stratasys-owned MakerBot.

The center at RIT is being viewed as an economic driver for the region, which has gained a reputation as a "functional 3D printing ecosystem" for the number of high-tech entities focused on the subject.

Rochester Professor Denis Cormier will lead the AMPrint Center, which anticipates working on development of next-generation polymer, metal and composite technologies with partners. The institute has long been immersed in 3D technologies, for example, working with companies to create new ink chemistries suited for aerosol jet printing and photonic curing. The school has a "pulsed photonic curing system" that can fuse high temperature metals and ceramics onto low-temperature paper or plastic, which can then be used for manufacturing flexible electronics.

"We are thrilled that the state has awarded this prestigious designation to RIT and our consortium partners," said Institute President Bill Destler. "We believe additive manufacturing can become a signature industry in our regional economy, and we expect this center to contribute to significant advances in these technologies."