Pittsburgh International Airport last week announced plans\nfor Neighborhood 91, the world\u2019s first development to condense and connect all\ncomponents of the additive manufacturing\/3-D printing supply chain into one\npowerful production neighborhood concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neighborhood 91, developed in conjunction with the\nUniversity of Pittsburgh, is the first development of the 195-acre Pittsburgh\nAirport Innovation Campus and will be built adjacent to the airport terminal\nand runway. Argon gas supplier Arencibia \u2013 has committed to be the anchor tenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Pittsburgh region has always been a world leader in\nmanufacturing,\u201d said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. \u201cNow that\nindustry has evolved into additive manufacturing and 3-D printing, and through\nNeighborhood 91, we have laid the groundwork to become the global epicenter.\nThe neighborhood concept will create enormous efficiencies but just as\nimportant is leveraging our region\u2019s universities, which will provide necessary\nresearch and development and fuel the workforce to the fill these jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name Neighborhood 91 is based on Pittsburgh\u2019s 90\ndistinct neighborhoods with the 91st being a key component to additive\nmanufacturing into the future. Construction will begin next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPart of our vision as an airport is to advance the region\u2019s\nrole as a world leader,\u201d said Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina\nCassotis. \u201cAdditive manufacturing is looking for a place to call home and no\none has made that happen \u2013 until now. The Pittsburgh region is natural fit\nbased on its history and its assets of today. And our airport is leading the\nway to get it done along with our university partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University of Pittsburgh is a key partner in the\ndevelopment of Neighborhood 91 \u2013 both for its research and development and\nworkforce development. The university\u2019s dual strengths of applied additive\nmanufacturing and supply chain research in addition to piloting programs to\naugment the professional pipeline help fuel the neighborhood concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNeighborhood 91 brings together the kind of collaborative\nenvironment needed to lead in today\u2019s competitive advanced manufacturing\neconomy,\u201d said University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. \u201cIt\ncombines the region\u2019s strength in additive manufacturing and advanced materials\nindustries with the intellectual capital of its world-class research\nuniversities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neighborhood 91\u2019s first tenant \u2013 Arencibia \u2013 has already\nsigned up. Arencibia is the industry leader in recycling gases throughout the aerospace\nand additive manufacturing supply chain, creating more efficiencies and saving\nmoney for companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Neighborhood 91 model is innovation at its core:\nmarrying technological, commercial, and public-private collaboration to\nfundamentally change the industry,\u201d said Joe Arencibia, President. \u201cThis is\nsomething that isn\u2019t happening elsewhere and we are excited to be the\nfoundation upon which the Neighborhood is built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Neighborhood 91 concept is based on shared capital\nresources at the core of the development. It will house a complete end-to-end\necosystem offering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Powder, parts, post-production, testing and analysis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communal powder storage facilities<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efficiencies in production\/post-production and delivery<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tenants\u2019 clients cost savings from on-demand printing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reduced transportation costs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airport access<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And perhaps the most important, argon, helium and other\nnoble gases, which are essential elements of additive manufacturing, reaching\nup to 60 percent of additive manufacturing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of Neighborhood 91, the airport is planning to\nconstruct a second microgrid to power the development to further increase cost\nsavings for tenants. The airport is in the process of developing its first\nmicrogrid to power the terminals and airfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Neighborhood campus concept will contain all the\nelements of the additive manufacturing supply chain in one concentrated place,\nincluding an onsite communal supply of powder, a proposition too expensive for\nmost in the industry on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials estimated that manufacturing lead times will\nshrink by 80 percent and transportation costs will shrink by even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n