LIFT to establish Advanced Metallic Production and Processing Center in Detroit
December 4, 2024
LIFT, a US Department of Defense-supported national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute based in Detroit, Michigan, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), has announced that it will open its new state-of-the-art Advanced Metallic Production and Processing Center (AMPP) in 2025. The AMPP is aimed at solving a critical gap in addressing advanced materials challenges across the US industrial base.
Located at LIFT’s Detroit headquarters and advanced manufacturing facility, the new centre is expected to deliver high quality metal powder, wire and rod feedstocks across all alloy classes at a development scale to support the diverse breadth of Additive Manufacturing processes on the market, curated by LIFT’s team of materials scientists.
“LIFT’s new capability exemplifies a core mission of the Department of Defense manufacturing innovation institutes to bridge gaps in the US defence industrial base,” said Keith DeVries, Director of Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).
AMPP will bring new synergies and collaborations to LIFT’s 385-member ecosystem, defence collaborators and the broader national manufacturing industrial base.
“Today’s world of advanced manufacturing, particularly the advancements in manufacturing processes, require the development of new, novel materials enabling manufacturers to bridge the gap between concept, prototype testing, product feasibility and production,” stated Nigel Francis, CEO & Executive Director, LIFT. “This new capability will efficiently and effectively drive the acceleration of new materials and processes to market, from the United States, for the warfighter and cross-sector manufacturers. This is especially relevant to many forms of Additive Manufacturing.”
When fully operational in Detroit in early 2025, LIFT’s AMMP facility will offer:
- Low to medium material production volumes
- Accelerated material delivery and availability
- Toll processing
- Contract manufacturing
- Domestic production
- Operation through a non-profit, public-private partnership
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