University of Louisville will open a 3-D printing training facility

A 3D Printing training facility will open next fall as a 50-50 partnership between the University of Louisville and UL LLC, a global safety science organization.

"We hope, beginning this fall, that ultimately hundreds of people from around the world will be coming here to University of Louisville and to Kentucky to receive training and take classes in advanced manufacturing and courses related to digital manufacturing," U of L President James Ramsey said.

Ramsey, Gov. Steve Beshear, Mayor Greg Fischer and others made the announcement at the future site of the facility, the Engineering Education Garage on the U of L Belknap campus Tuesday afternoon. Fischer said that the facility, which will be called UL Additive Manufacturing Competency Center, has the potential to introduce new jobs to Louisville.

As additive manufacturing technologies rapidly evolve, the UL center will update course curriculum and introduce new content every six to 12 months. Looking forward, UL will develop a formal workforce additive manufacturing certification program during 2016 to help designers, engineers and operators expand from traditional manufacturing techniques into additive manufacturing techniques.

Chris Krampitz, director of Additive Manufacturing Technology at UL said the envisioned curriculum is for current manufacturers who are hoping to transition into additive manufacturing. The UL AMCC will join U of L's global advanced manufacturing campus, the Institute for Product Realization, and collaborate and share knowledge with other corporate residents, including GE and Local Motors' FirstBuild.

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