Global control systems manufacturer expanding 3D printing operation in Zeeland.
Woodward Inc., which is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo., operates a campus located at 700 N. Centennial St. in Zeeland. The location is currently designated as Woodward’s home for combustion testing while the company has slowly developed its additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, capabilities at the West Michigan site.
By industrializing 15,000 square feet of a 26,000-square-foot facility on its existing campus, which the company purchased in April of 2019, Woodward now plans to use the site to expand its efforts in additive manufacturing, which is an alternative to machining and casting metal parts.
“Woodward is pleased to continue its growth in West Michigan through the purchase and industrialization of the fourth building on our campus and through the introduction of this very innovative manufacturing process,” Erik Pederson, Woodward vice president and general manager at the Zeeland facility, said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the support we received from Lakeshore Advantage and the City of Zeeland in helping to make this a reality.”
The company has experimented with 3D printing at the Zeeland facility since 2012, using one machine while trying out a variety of materials.
Woodward has applied for a tax abatement for the development and has been long-time partners with Zeeland-based Lakeshore Advantage.
“Innovative companies that deploy Industry 4.0 technologies in their processes are growing in West Michigan and Woodward is a great example of this,” Lakeshore Advantage President Jennifer Owens said in a statement. “Woodward is a world-class employer, investing in the region’s innovation culture and economic future. We are proud to support their growth here.”
Link: https://mibiz.com/sections/manufacturing/global-control-systems-manufacturer-expanding-3d-printing-operation-in-zeeland
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