UTK partners with UK and U.S. Army on $50 million advanced manufacturing project
Big news for the Big Orange.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), the University of Kentucky, and the U.S. Army have announced a new five-year, $50 million advanced manufacturing project aimed at developing the next generation of military equipment.
According to a news release from UTK, “the project will focus on improving materials and manufacturing methods that could significantly advance capabilities of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, including developing the next generation of vehicles, increasing the distance of its long-range arsenal, and exploring designs for vertical lift vehicles of the future.”
UTK will involve multiple colleges and departments in addition to the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma as it focuses on three areas: (1) hybrid manufacturing methods that combine additive techniques and machining; (2) measurements using advanced metrology approaches; and (3) new materials processing techniques for metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites.
The project also includes connections with industrial partners across six states, five of which are in the Southeast: Oshkosh Defense in nearby Jefferson City; Southeastern Kentucky Rehabilitation Industries of Bell County; MELD Manufacturing Corporation of Christiansburg, VA; Corvid Technologies of Charlotte, NC; Dynetics of Alabama; BAE Systems, with locations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and Alabama; and Flash Steelworks of Michigan.
