Pittsburgh International Airport plans AM production ‘neighbourhood’
October 26, 2019
Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania, USA, has announced plans for a new development titled Neighbourhood 91, designed to bring together and connect all components of the Additive Manufacturing supply chain into a ‘production neighbourhood’, forming what it describes as an epicentre for AM. Developed in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, Neighborhood 91 is the first development of the 195-acre Pittsburgh Airport Innovation Campus and will be built adjacent to the airport terminal and runway.
Among the first ‘neighbours’ announced are argon gas supplier and gas recycling specialist Arencibia, which will serve as the anchor tenant to attract further partners, and The Barnes Group Advisors, which collaborated with Pittsburgh International Airport on the creation of the AM cluster strategy.
The Neighborhood 91 concept is reportedly based on shared capital resources at the core of the development. Once complete, it is expected to house a complete end-to-end ecosystem for AM, offering:
- Powder, parts, post-production, testing and analysis
- Communal powder storage facilities
- Heightened efficiencies in production/post-production and delivery
- Cost savings for tenants’ clients from on-demand AM
- Reduced transportation costs
- Airport access
- Argon, helium and other noble gases, which are essential elements of Additive Manufacturing, accounting for up to 60% of AM costs.
Christina Cassotis, Pittsburgh International Airport CEO, commented, “Part of our vision as an airport is to advance the region’s role as a world leader. Additive Manufacturing is looking for a place to call home and no one has made that happen – until now. The Pittsburgh region is a natural fit based on its history and its assets of today and our airport is leading the way to get it done along with our university partners.”
“Neighbourhood 91 brings together the kind of collaborative environment needed to lead in today’s competitive advanced manufacturing economy,” added Patrick Gallagher, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor. “It combines the region’s strength in Additive Manufacturing and advanced materials industries with the intellectual capital of its world-class research universities.”
Construction will begin on Neighbourhood 91 in 2020. Officials estimate that the development could shrink manufacturing lead times by 80% and transportation costs by more than 80%.
