February_AMP

Vital Statistics

In January, the American Lightweight Materials Man-

ufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII) opened its new

100,000-sq-ft “innovation acceleration center” in Detroit by

showcasing technologies that use lightweight metals and

announcing its new program name, LIFT—Lightweight Inno-

vations for Tomorrow. The $148 million center will build part-

nerships among research institutions and manufacturers to

accelerate the transfer of new manufacturing technology from

the research stage to actual production processes.

Success Factors

LIFT members will work with metals such as aluminum,

magnesium, titanium, and advanced high-strength steels

and focus on new technologies to cast, heat treat, form, join,

and coat them. Activities will build on the Materials Genome

Initiative (MGI) and incorporate breakthroughs in integrat-

ed computational materials engineering (ICME), materials

modeling, theory, and data mining to speed deployment of

advanced materials. Launched in 2011 by the Obama Ad-

ministration, MGI is a multi-agency effort designed to create

a new era of policy, resources, and infrastructure to support

U.S. institutions in developing materials twice as fast and at

a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. LIFT, operated

by ALMMII, was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense

under the Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing In-

novation (LM3I) solicitation issued by the U.S. Navy’s Office of

Naval Research.

About the Innovators

ALMMII is a nonprofit organization founded by the Uni-

versity of Michigan, The Ohio State University, and EWI, along

with a 60-member consortium of leading metals manufactur-

ers, universities, and research labs. ASM is part of the consor-

tium and will assist with education and workforce develop-

ment initiatives.

What’sNext

“Our industry partners, with input from government

agencies, will set the priorities of our effort,” explains Alan

Taub, chief technical officer and ASM member. “We will cre-

ate collaborations to focus on the opportunities manufactur-

ing companies identify to take breakthroughs from the best

research institutions across the country and commercialize

them as certified, production-level processes. Our work will

cross-fertilize developments in several industries—including

defense and commercial applications in aerospace, automo-

tive, marine, and railroad.”

Contact Details

LIFT — Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow

1400 Rosa Parks Blvd.

Detroit, MI 48216

313.309.9003,

www.lift.technology

SUCCESS ANALYSIS

Specimen: LIFT — Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow

ALMMII’s chief technical officer

Alan Taub (left) and executive

director Lawrence Brown.

Rotor made of lightweight materials.

Transmission designed using modern metals for

weight savings.

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