EWI is pleased to announce its membership in NextFlex, an institute of Manufacturing USA, the national initiative that focuses on emerging advanced manufacturing technologies. NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) manufacturing in the USA.

Flexible hybrid electronics – stretchable, conformal, wearable, and often disposable – have great potential for application in medical and personal healthcare, as well as consumer electronics. The technology for printable microelectronics advances almost daily, but creating successful applications requires a joint effort between academia, industry, and government – and that’s where the NextFlex  partners come in.

With deep expertise in microjoining technology, dissimilar materials joining, and applied R&D, EWI has the capabilities and resources to contribute significantly to the advancement of FHE, and looks forward to playing an active role in the work of NextFlex.

For information about NextFlex and Manufacturing USA, visit www.nextflex.us

You can read about the challenges and opportunities of FHE in EWI’s guide to Wearable Flexible Electronics: Closing Technology Gaps.

To learn more about EWI’s technologies and capabilities, click here.

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We are pleased to welcome new member MSA Safety Inc. Founded as Mine Safety Appliances Inc., in 1914 with a focus on mine rescue, the company now leads the charge for workplace safety with a product line that includes oil and gas detection meters, fire safety equipment and hard hats. The company has locations in the U.S. and Canada.

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ASTM International, a world-renowned standards and related-services organization, has announced winners of a global competition for its first-ever Center of Excellence (CoE), which will focus on additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing. From a pool of dozens of proposals submitted in December, EWI and Auburn University-NASA were co-selected to run the cutting-edge CoE. The organizations and their partners will work to create a global innovation hub that advances technical standards, related R&D, education and training, and more.

“This game-changing collaboration will build a strong foundation for the future of additive manufacturing,” said Katharine Morgan, president of ASTM International. “The synergy among Auburn, NASA, and EWI – combined with the trailblazing work of ASTM’s additive manufacturing committee – will help fill industry gaps and accelerate innovation. It’s clear that this new center has the potential to shape the future of industries like aerospace, auto, medical, and more.”

With funding, in-kind, and other support from ASTM International, the organizations involved in the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence will focus on bridging standards development with R&D. As part of the program, EWI will work to build industry consortia, leveraging its track record of developing, testing, and implementing advanced manufacturing technologies.

Dr. Frank Medina, AM technology leader at EWI, said, “We are thrilled to be helping lead this new center of excellence with ASTM International, Auburn University, and NASA. We look forward to bringing AM industry leaders to the table and working with them to identify challenges, advance groundbreaking standards, and drive innovation in this fast-growing area.”

In addition to its research activities, part of Auburn University’s role will be to develop education and training resources and tools. “Our college has made major investments in faculty, laboratories, and equipment to achieve a leadership position in additive manufacturing,” said Christopher Roberts, dean of Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “To be recognized by ASTM International is quite an honor and we look forward to a productive, collaborative relationship with ASTM and EWI.” John Vickers, NASA’s principal technologist in advanced manufacturing, added, “NASA and ASTM International have had a decades-long relationship in developing aerospace and aviation standards that benefit NASA’s mission and the industry as a whole. We look forward to working with Auburn and EWI to link R&D and standardization efforts that will uncover the vast potential of additive manufacturing applications.”

ASTM International’s committee on additive manufacturing technologies (F42) was formed in 2009. The committee, in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Technical Committee 261, has worked and continues to work closely with the Additive Manufacturing Standards Collaborative to identify and fill a variety of gaps across multiple industry sectors. For an overview of ASTM International’s leadership in AM standardization, click here.

Stakeholders interested in the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence can contact Mohsen Seifi, director of global additive manufacturing programs at ASTM International at [email protected], or Michael Ulbrich, President of EWI-New York at [email protected].

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As manufacturing margins shrink and consumers continue to demand high-quality products that can last a lifetime, advanced quality systems are helping manufacturers maintain a competitive edge. Shifting from post-production quality testing and inspection to in-line, automated quality system technologies integrated throughout the product lifecycle results in smarter designs, reduced costs, improved productivity, increased efficiency and less risk.

Implementing advanced quality technologies from concept to design through development also boosts throughput and reduces time to market.

Increase Manufacturing Throughput and Reduce Time to Market with Advanced Quality Systems details the benefits of incorporating advanced quality applications at every stage of the product development timeline, highlighting EWI’s industry-leading tools and solutions, including:

• Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) during prototype cycles and development of material and manufacturing processes
• Integrated computational modeling to improve structural integrity and design for inspection
• Automated defect recognition and other data anaysis algorithms to facilitate process feedback and inform quick repairs or other decision actions

EWI provides industry-leading solutions and technologies to help companies seamlessly incorporate next-generation quality systems into product design, development, in-service and beyond. To learn more, contact Shaun Freed at [email protected]

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EWI launched its Forming Center Consortium (FCC) in 2017 with nine founding member companies, including General Motors, Honda, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Cosmas, Lear, POSCO, ESI North America, Diversified Tooling Group, and AutoForm. At the first FCC meeting held in late 2017, consortium members selected two inaugural, pre-competitive projects:

• FCC-1: Implementation of Nondestructive Evaluation and Visual Monitoring Tools in Stamping
• FCC-2: Intelligent Servo-Control Forming Process

The FCC spring review meeting will be held by EWI in Detroit, Michigan, at the Marriott Southfield on April 13, 2018, in conjunction with the SAE World Congress. A members-only session will be held during the morning of April 13^th. An open, non-member session will be hosted by EWI from 1 pm to 3 pm. Lunch will be provided to both non-members and members from 12 pm to 1 pm.

Registration to attend the non-members session is required. To register for this open session, please click here. For more information, contact Doug Myers at [email protected].

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Bordrin Motor Corporation has joined EWI as a new member. With five locations worldwide, the company has accumulated experience in the automotive and technology industries. Bordrin’s focus is on creating future mobility products and services through electrification, connectivity and shared driving.

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