Advancing U.S. Leadership in Lightweight Technology Interview with Lawrence E. Brown, LIFT Technology

摘要

Officially opened in January this year in Detroit, MI's Corktown district, Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) Technology will join a national network of research institutions and industrial companies aiming to advance U.S. leadership in manufacturing technology. LIFT is operated by American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII) as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), an initiative focused on coordinating public and private investment in emerging advanced manufacturing technologies. ALMMI is funded by the Department of Defense through the U.S. Office of Naval Research Laboratory, with strong support from industry partners and academic research institutions. The lead founding partners of ALMMII are the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and EWI, an independent, nonprofit research and development organization based in Columbus, OH. The 100,000 sq ft headquarters of LIFT houses offices and laboratories that will work to speed development of new lightweight metal manufacturing processes from laboratories throughout the national network and lightweight metals manufacturing facilities, including aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and advanced high-strength steels. LIFT's location in Detroit mirrors the focus of the Detroit three automakers on lightweighting automobiles and vehicles, but as Lawrence (Larry) Brown, executive director of LIFT Technology (pictured), points out in the following interview, the LIFT efforts extend to all U.S. manufacturing plants that might benefit from advanced lightweight material processing.