UA hosts grand opening of the Timken Foundation Center for Precision Manufacturing

Pictured (l to r): Dr. Dane Quinn, Professor and Director of the Timken Foundation Center for Precision Manufacturing (CPM); UA President R.J. Nemer; Bob Timken, President, Timken Foundation; Ward J. "Jack” Timken, Past President, Timken Foundation; Dr. Stephen Johnson, Retired Director Research & Development at The Timken Company; Shammas Malik, Mayor, City of Akron

The University of Akron (UA) hosted the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of the Timken Foundation Center for Precision Manufacturing (CPM) on Sept. 20, 2024 to a group of more than 150 educators and industry professionals. This state-of-the-art renovated facility, funded by a $3 million grant from The Timken Foundation of Canton, is housed in the former Akron Polymer Training Center at 225 E. Mill St. on the edge of the UA campus. The 15,800-square-foot space features an open bay area, classrooms, offices and modern engineering equipment.

“Thanks to the Timken Foundation’s financial support, we can provide a single space for research and student education, while contributing to workforce development for the manufacturing industry," said Dr. Ajay Mahajan, associate dean for research and industrial engagement for UA’s College of Engineering and Polymer Science.

About the Center

The CPM is a cooperative center between industry and UA, where industry members define their research and workforce needs, and the center addresses these needs through collaborative research, technological innovations and workforce training. The Center was born in response to a dire need brought to the University by many manufacturing companies in regard to their need for a workforce trained in critical areas such as grinding, machining, hard turning, etc., i.e. processes that create precision products by removing materials. Another area of interest is Industry 4.0 and all the tools that are required for it such as sensors, cloud networks, AI/ML, data collection/interpretation and digital twins. The CPM is dedicated to producing the talent and the technologies that serve the manufacturing industry. 

Dr. D. Dane Quinn, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, serves as the Center's director. "Our vision is to solve the challenges faced by the manufacturing industry, to reduce their costs and increase their productivity. Through CPM we will work with our industrial partners to advance their position at the forefront of technology and maintain their competitive edge," he said.

Employees of industry partners can use the Center for their own training programs. Employees also can work directly in the labs.

Students, both undergraduate and graduate, in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science, will take part in research at the site. The Center also will emphasize "Industry 4.0" which includes robotics, automation and smart sensors, digital manufacturing, machine connectivity and overall improvement in operational equipment effectiveness.

“Manufacturing isn’t going anywhere, and we are seeing an increase in companies who want to hire our graduates or work with our researchers to design ways to improve products and processes,” said Dr. Craig Menzemer, dean of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science.

Mission and Vision

The Center's mission is twofold:

• Research: To tackle manufacturing challenges with cost-effective, high-quality solutions by connecting companies with expert faculty and students. The goal is to enhance the competitive position of manufacturing companies through research and technological advancements.
• Workforce Development: To develop skilled engineers and researchers by involving them in cutting-edge projects and to provide educational opportunities to upskill and reskill current employees.

The ultimate outcome of open innovation is shorter times for research to get to the market and the creation of new jobs. The Center will allow undergraduate students to gain valuable experience while assisting graduate students and faculty with experiments, data collection and analysis. With this approach, more students will be exposed to critical manufacturing technologies and will be introduced to a broader range of career choices and options in manufacturing.

Industry Collaboration and Current Research Projects

The CPM welcomes collaboration with companies, federal research organizations and government-operated laboratories. The Center's members currently include the Timken Company, the Schaeffler Group, Swagelok, M K Morse and Quaker Houghton. These members benefit from innovative research projects such as:

• Machine learning techniques for quality assessment of grinding processes
  Centerless grinding of silicon nitride
  In-process inspection of restricted spaces using miniature confocal chromatic sensors

In addition, the Center offers a 15-credit graduate certificate program to upskill employees and is equipped with a high-tech surface grinding machine, funded through State of Ohio RAPIDS grants.

For more information about the CPM, visit uakron.edu/cpm.

Media Contact: Cristine Boyd; cboyd@uakron.edu; 330-972-6476