Detroit — Two federal research institutes in Detroit will invest $47 million in equipment and upgrades over the next two years.
The Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow and Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation plan to acquire and install new equipment to allow research and development projects in lightweight metals and advanced composites, the institutions said in a joint press release Friday. LIFT will invest $20.5 million and IACMI will invest $18 million. Some of the equipment includes: a flexible-robot joining cell; a linear friction welder; prepreg equipment; induction processing, etc.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is providing the $8.5 million toward building upgrades.
The institutes were established in 2014 under an initiative from the Obama administration recently renamed Manufacturing USA to advance manufacturing technologies and processes. LIFT — led by the University of Michigan; the Columbus, Ohio-based manufacturing technology 501(c)(3) nonprofit EWI and Ohio State University — is funded with a $70 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense and $78 million from a consortium of 70-plus universities, businesses and organizations. IACMI is funded by a $70 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $15 million from the MEDC and others for five years.
"Our co-investment and collaboration with LIFT strengthens our manufacturing ecosystem of automotive partners in Michigan — and helps to redefine Detroit as a prospering region for vehicle advancement," Craig Blue, IACMI CEO, said in a news release.
