5/5/2025 Michael O'Boyle
Written by Michael O'Boyle
The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is launching a center to develop new additive manufacturing methods for large metal parts. The center will have a $9.06 million budget, including an $8.15 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense. The new methods and technologies developed will allow the military to quickly manufacture large parts as needed for its fleet of ground vehicles, making its supply chain more agile, efficient and secure.
Under the leadership of Illinois Grainger Engineering mechanical science and engineering professor Bill King, university researchers will work with the U.S. Army through the DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) and the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA-JMTC). They will answer fundamental questions about large metal parts manufacturing with additive methods, and they will develop industrial processes for implementing the technology at scale.
“We are building the world’s first university research center focused on large metal additive manufacturing,” King said. “We will conduct fundamental research on material properties and part quality, and we will have a factory demonstration facility to develop new processes and technologies. Grainger Engineering is uniquely positioned to lead this center with our expertise across multiple engineering disciplines and our proven track record of delivering working solutions.”
The U.S. Army’s interest in partnering with Illinois Grainger Engineering stems from its ongoing commitment to maintaining readiness and resilience through cutting-edge technologies like advanced manufacturing. As the operational landscape grows increasingly complex, the ability to manufacture large metal parts at the point of need will significantly enhance supply chain agility, reduce logistical strain, and improve vehicle uptime across Army formations. Through this collaboration, the Army aims to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing methods that support distributed production, improve material efficiency, and integrate advanced design methodologies for faster, more reliable part replacement.
“At GVSC, we remain at the forefront of advancing Army readiness by pushing the boundaries of Advanced Manufacturing. Partnering with Grainger Engineering gives us access to world-class research that will help us answer fundamental questions about large-scale metal additive manufacturing and bring those answers to bear on real-world applications,” said David Gorsich, Chief Scientist at GVSC.
“This collaboration is a game-changer for our capabilities at both GVSC and RIA-JMTC. It enhances our ability to produce certified, high-quality parts faster, while integrating new materials and advanced design tools that reduce vehicle downtime and streamline the logistics chain,” Gorsich said.
Illinois Grainger Engineering Dean Rashid Bashir added, “The launch of this new manufacturing center, under the leadership of Bill King, marks a significant step forward in our commitment to transforming technologies that serve our nation's defense and manufacturing sectors. At Grainger Engineering, we are tackling the most pressing challenges in advanced manufacturing and engineering the future through innovation, impact, and excellence.”
Beyond the Army and Illinois Grainger Engineering, the initiative will directly support the economy of the Quad Cities Region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa surrounding RIA-JMTC by expanding manufacturing capabilities. It is expected to positively impact the region’s small businesses and large companies.
“With today’s announced funding, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will be at the forefront of cutting-edge education, research, and development that fortifies our national defense,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said. “By supporting large metal additive manufacturing research in collaboration with Rock Island Arsenal, this project will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign manufacturing for metals, contribute more resilient ground vehicles for the Army in the future, and create jobs for Illinoisans. I will continue to push for federal funding that supports national defense operations in our state.”
“It’s wonderful that this area of manufacturing strength within Illinois Grainger Engineering has connected so well with RIA-JMTC and GVSC,” University of Illinois System Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation Jay Walsh said. “This project will create huge impact for manufacturers connected to the Army’s supply chain, bolster the Quad Cities’ workforce, drive innovation in manufacturing and expand economic opportunities across the state.”
Additive manufacturing represents a paradigm shift from traditional manufacturing methods, in which parts are mass-produced in large batches then stored until needed. Traditional processes are slow and ill-equipped to respond to evolving conditions. With an additive approach, the design is built up by continuously layering materials, much like a consumer 3D printer, to produce individual parts as needed. Orders can be filled immediately, and the same machine can be reprogrammed to build many different parts.
“To illustrate the difference, imagine that a vehicle breaks down and needs a new part which is not available in your warehouse,” King said. “With traditional manufacturing, you would need to build a production process from scratch. Two years can pass from the order to the delivery of the first part. With additive manufacturing, you just load the design onto the machine, it prints off the part right then and there, and you know exactly where it came from and how it was made.”
While additive manufacturing has been used to manufacture metal parts in the medical and aerospace industries for years, it has only been well-studied for parts that are relatively small – typically a few inches or less. To be useful to military vehicles, parts sized 3 feet or larger need to be made. Much less is known about how to make these larger parts, and there are open questions that need to be answered before the Defense Department adopts the technology.
The goal of the new center is to provide definite answers about the material properties and quality of large metal parts made with additive methods. The researchers will also study how to operate the machines in a way that creates high-quality parts in addition to developing support technologies related to sensing, material characterization and analysis software.
A key component of the center will be a factory demonstration facility to be constructed in the Research Park at Illinois. It will consist of two large metal printers for research and development. They will allow new designs, materials and processes to be tested in a controlled setting.
“It’s exciting that we’re going to have this capability because the costs involved in high-end manufacturing don’t often leave room for R&D,” King said. “With this environment, we have room for learning, discovery and development while also addressing important, practical questions for the military.”
The center will be led by King and co-led by Sameh Tawfick, an Illinois Grainger Engineering mechanical science and engineering professor, and Magdi Azer, the associate director for manufacturing science of the Applied Research Institute in Illinois Grainger Engineering.
Illinois Grainger Engineering Affiliations
Bill King is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor of mechanical science and engineering in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Bioengineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is also director of the Illinois Manufacturing Institute. King is affiliated with the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Materials Research Lab, Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, Information Trust Institute, and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. He holds the Ralph A. Andersen Endowed Chair in Mechanical Science & Engineering.
Sameh Tawfick is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. Tawfick is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. He is the Ralph A. Andersen Faculty Scholar.