PADT and Stratasys Team to Open AM Lab in Denver

Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies (PADT), Tempe, AZ, an engineering product and services company, and Stratasys Ltd., Minneapolis, MN, a provider of AM equipment and services, have helped open the Lockheed Martin Additive Manufacturing Laboratory at the Metropolitan State University (MSU) of Denver. The center features the Stratasys Fortus 900mc production 3D printer and is funded through a grant from Lockheed Martin Space Systems. It reportedly is the only such facility located at a higher-education institution in the Rocky Mountain region.

“The Lockheed Martin Additive Manufacturing Laboratory is a major development in the progression of additive-manufacturing tooling applications,” says Rey Chu, principal and cofounder, manufacturing technologies at PADT. “The expertise and dedication of Stratasys and PADT, combined with the generosity of Lockheed Martin and MSU Denver’s vision for advanced workforce development from MSU Denver, will help propel our industry far beyond where it is today.”

Adds Tim Schniepp, director of composite solutions at Stratasys, “Students and local businesses now will have access to leading 3D-printing solutions for development of composite structures—enabling manufacturers to save time and money, and solve even their most unique design challenges. The lab will quickly become a cornerstone of additive-manufacturing innovation across the state of Colorado.”

Initially deployed at MSU Denver, the AM curriculum will later become available for use by other academic institutions across the country. Additionally, PADT will work with MSU Denver, Lockheed Martin and other users to build a Fortus 900mc Users Group within the Rocky Mountain region.