Wabtec Begins Operations at Neighborhood 91 Additive Hub
August 1, 2021
Wabtec Corporation has announced the start of operations at Neighborhood 91, the additive manufacturing (AM) production campus at Pittsburgh International Airport's Innovation Campus. The new 11,000 sq. ft. facility builds upon Wabtec's efforts to drive innovation in the rail industry through its growing AM capabilities.
"Advances in additive technology are changing the way we design and build the next generation of business-critical, sustainable products for our customers," said Eric Gebhardt, Wabtec's Chief Technology Officer. "Neighborhood 91 and its one-of-a-kind additive ecosystem will help foster creative solutions to engineering challenges and breakthroughs in 3D printing. Our Neighborhood 91 facility and the other additive labs in western Pennsylvania will accelerate new innovations that shrink lead times, reduce cost and increase reliability."
Wabtec's site at Neighborhood 91 features an SLM800 printer, which will produce large-scale, lightweight parts for rail industry customers. Production will include metal aluminum transit components like brake parts and heat sinks for freight locomotives, among other rail applications. Applying AM technology to some of these applications will reduce lead times by up to 80%, according to the company.
The new facility is part of Wabtec's initiative to use AM to provide parts faster, with a simplified supply chain, applying advanced features that improve the application, all at a competitive price point. The company plans to use additive technologies to produce over 25,000 parts by 2025 in support of the internal supply chain.
Neighborhood 91, developed in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, is the first development of the 195-acre Pittsburgh Airport Innovation Campus. The location enables parts to ship immediately from the airport to any location in the world within 24 hours, which will improve supply chain performance and cut transportation costs.
For more information contact:
Wabtec Corporation
30 Isabella Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-825-1000
www.wabteccorp.com
Neighborhood 91
www.neighborhood91.com
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