Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center has “Scale Up Down to a Science”
Argonne National Laboratory announces the launch of the inaugural showcase of the Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo in Washington, DC.
Argonne National Laboratory is a Department of Energy laboratory located in the southwest Chicago suburb of Lemont, Illinois. The Director of the Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center at Argonne is Chris Heckle, Ph.D., who joined Argonne at the end of 2022 following an over 20-year career with Corning Corporation, a large materials manufacturing company based in New York. “This is an exciting time to arrive at Argonne, a Department of Energy Lab that has made the commitment to work in partnership with private manufacturing to accelerate science and technology and to drive security and prosperity for the country. The DOE’s commitment to energy independence is strongly supported by Argonne at all levels, as we move aggressively toward decarbonization and sustainable energy practices across the United States.”
Argonne’s Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center (MMIC) presents a timely opportunity for private manufacturers with its ability to have immediate impact on their processes. As the number of industrial labs dwindle across the country, a Department of Energy lab such as Argonne can extend its services by playing a larger role in industrial research and development for companies that can no longer do this on their own.
Argonne has a demonstrated track record of assisting entrepreneurial projects within small companies all the way to large multinational firms with its materials synthesis and processing. “The scale-up capabilities we have within our engineering and research facilities are state-of-the-art”, according to Heckle. “There is a spirit of patriotism at Argonne as we recognize our leadership responsibilities in advancing U.S. manufacturing.”
A major step inherent to partnering with Argonne is that MMIC can connect companies to expanded funding opportunities for their work through the Department of Energy. There are significant protections that MMIC, representing Argonne, can offer such as protecting company confidentiality during a collaborative arrangement, drafting and protecting non-disclosure agreements and developing highly secure data planning and tracking. MMIC is now the vehicle by which to ramp up these public private collaborations and Argonne is inviting manufacturers to learn more about collaborations to solve complex problems at many levels.
David Boulay, Ph.D., President of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center had this to say about MMIC: “I saw firsthand how small and mid-sized manufacturers can leverage science during my visit to Argonne National Laboratory with MMIC. Whether scaling up technology or accessing the added science from Argonne’s top-notch infrastructure, MMIC is an invaluable partner for connecting manufacturers to Argonne’s knowledge base.”
At the TechConnect World Conference and Expo, the Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center can be found in exhibit booth 606. Attendees are encouraged to stop by, meet Director Chris Heckle and members of the Argonne team and learn how Argonne’s science and research facilities are prepared to collaborate to lend world-class support to U.S. manufacturers.