From the Director's Chair
Welcome to the third quarter newsletter from the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute. This marks my final newsletter as DMDII Executive Director and Chief Manufacturing Officer of UI LABS. With confidence that the Institute's foundation is firmly set and its innovation process underway, I will be stepping down on August 5.
It's been an amazing two and a half years watching the Institute grow to over 250 partners and more than $30 million awarded in applied research and development projects. Shepherding DMDII through its launch has been a privilege. I came in to stand up the Institute and establish it as a leader in advancing digital manufacturing in America, and I'm proud to have achieved those goals. During this transition, I hope you'll join me in welcoming Tom McDermott, Chief Program Officer of UI LABS, as interim Executive Director. Tom will oversee the Institute during the search for the right candidate to guide DMDII into its next chapter.
I've enjoyed sharing updates and accomplishments through this newsletter. This edition includes details about our recent project call and recaps of some past events – Women in Manufacturing and our first-ever Hackathon, for example. Our network is expanding, from new partners in the Institute to groups within the tech space, like hackers, to organizations like ManpowerGroup, with which we've teamed up for a new workforce initiative. These collaborative relationships are the driving force behind DMDII, and we continue to see our network grow.
It's been incredibly rewarding to get to know many of you within the DMDII network, and the journey is not over: While my official tenure is coming to a close, I plan to join the ranks of the Institute's most dedicated supporters of its mission to digitize American manufacturing. Onward and upward!
Dr. Dean L. Bartles
Chief Manufacturing Officer, UI LABS
Executive Director, DMDII
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AUTOMATED ASSEMBLY PLANNING PROJECT
 Project Lead:
Oregon State
Project Overview:
The Automated Assembly Planning tool will allow users to interact with developed assembly plans via the IC.IDO virtual reality platform. With minimal input from the user beyond the 3D assembly file, the tool will present alternative ways of assembling the components of the represented CAD product, creating an opportunity to save time and reduce cost during assembly.
The tool is initiated by the input of a 3D assembly model, which is then presented within the virtual reality platform, giving the user an opportunity to verify part-to-part constraints. Following this input phase, the assembly planning tool will use evaluation criteria previously developed under DARPA’s Adaptive Vehicle Make META program. The resulting assembly plans will be presented via IC.IDO, and the user will be able to visualize and interact with the plan, enabling design and industrial engineers to see how their decisions will impact assembly time and cost.
A live demo of this tool and the virtual reality visualization will be featured at the Members-Only Technology Showcase at the UI LABS Innovation Center on September 7.
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DMDII recently announced its second 2016 Project Call for Advanced Manufacturing R&D Projects. The project topics include:
The September 8 Project Call Workshop at the UI LABS Innovation Center will provide additional information and enable project team formation.
To facilitate teaming, interested parties should register their capabilities and interests through an online survey in advance.
For more information about the Project Call, survey, and upcoming Project Call Workshop, including the link to register, visit dmdii.org.
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HACKING THE DIGITAL FACTORY
 UI LABS hosted its first-ever Hackathon, providing support for teams to hack out a Digital Manufacturing Commons app related to real-world manufacturing floor issues. Nearly 40 participants convened on July 15 to "hack the digital factory," and over three days tackled the challenge using four years of tool data from more than 75 machines.
Participants ranged from a local 16-year-old high school student who participated as a one-man team, to hackers from across the country, including the CTO for Customer Connection at Salesforce who flew in from California for the event. Each team presented its approach in front of a panel of judges. Winners were named in a number of categories, with the grand prize going to Team CPTDS (pictured above). Read more about the event at hackdmc.org.
WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING
 More than 150 attendees participated in Championing Women in Manufacturing on June 3, the first event at our Innovation Center related specifically to the issues women face in the industry.
Although women represent nearly half of the U.S. workforce, they account for just over a quarter of the manufacturing labor pool. In an effort to develop greater female participation in the manufacturing sector, Championing Women in Manufacturing featured speakers who shared their stories and addressed issues, such as workforce training and leadership, that are relevant to women in the sector.
To learn more about the event, read Caralynn Nowinski Collens’ post-event summary.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: THE WORKFORCE TEAM HITS THE ROAD
 This summer the DMDII workforce team hit the road, visiting a number of corporate partners in an effort to identify and define the novel roles emerging within digital manufacturing and design.
The visits with manufacturing companies, including John Deere, Rolls Royce, and Siemens, are part of the digital manufacturing and design taxonomy project DMDII has embarked on with ManpowerGroup. The team saw firsthand the technology and processes that are sweeping through the shop floors and executive offices of our nation’s manufacturers.
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AT THE UI LABS INNOVATION CENTER
Sept. 7: DMDII Members-Only Technology Showcase (Closed to the public)
All members are invited to hear from DMDII project teams, which will present on the progress and goals of their projects.
Sept. 8: DMDII Project Call Workshop
The event will facilitate teaming and provide more information for the Project Call topics released July 27. Register here.
Sept. 26: Smart Industry 2016 Visits DMDII
The Smart Industry 2016 conference held Sept. 26-28 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago will focus on the digital transformation of manufacturing and related industries, as represented by the convergence of information and operational technologies and industry-wide movements such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industrie 4.0, and big data analytics.
On a first-come, first-served basis, conference attendees can participate in a tour of DMDII on Sept. 26. Visit the conference website to register and learn more.
Nov. 9: Smart Manufacturing: The Digital Transformation
Part of the Smart Manufacturing Seminar Series hosted by SME, this one-day event at the UI LABS Innovation Center will feature insights from leading industry experts and early adopting manufacturers that are achieving positive business results in this connected world. Register here.
OFFSITE EVENTS
Sept. 12-17: International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2016
One of the largest industrial trade shows in the world, IMTS is held at McCormick Place in Chicago and features more than 2,000 exhibiting companies – including many DMDII partners. Check the IMTS website for the agenda, exhibitor lists, and more, and stay tuned for updates about events we'll be involved in.
Sept. 27-28: Bosch ConnectedWorld Chicago
Held at Morgan Manufacturing in Chicago, this two-day conference will feature leaders in business and technology, who will share best practices and case studies around connected products, services, and solutions. Among the speakers is our very own Caralynn Nowinski Collens, CEO of UI LABS. Learn more here.
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Below is some of the recent coverage we've received. Keep up with our news by following us on Twitter @DMDII_, where we post updates and share links to stories in real time.
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IPC: The Voice of the Electronics Industry
Last May, IPC joined DMDII as a Tier 4 Academic/Non-Profit partner. As a global member-driven organization that works with the electronics industry, IPC recognized the synergies that exist between DMDII’s collaborative mandate and its own, and saw an opportunity to contribute to ongoing projects.
Since joining DMDII, IPC has worked on projects that include addressing the smart printed circuit board (PCB) digital factory (working in conjunction with IPC member company Lockheed Martin). It has also built relationships with like-minded organizations, including NextFlex and America Makes.
Illustrating its work in the field of advanced manufacturing, IPC’s 2-13 Shop Floor Communications Subcommittee recently brought together leading software developers, machine vendors, assembly equipment manufacturers and their customers to work on development of a new IPC standard to meet the current and future needs of industry that will fill a gap identified by the group. This new standard will provide uniformity of data protocols that will allow ease of machine-to-machine communication.
“The subcommittee is firmly committed to developing the standard and is also working to provide an easy-to-understand definition of Industry 4.0 and its significance,” said David Bergman, IPC Vice President of Standards and Training.
For more information about IPC, visit ipc.org. To learn more about the evolving standard and other IPC documents, visit ipc.org/standards.
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Since our last newsletter, Johnson & Johnson has joined DMDII as a Tier 2 Industry partner.
We're excited to welcome them along with our other new partners:
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ACE Clearwater
Advanced Engineering Solutions USA Inc
Affinegy Inc
Alliance for Industry & Manufacturing
Allied Plastics
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Applied Optimization Inc
Bluvision
Computer Aided Technology (CATI)
CreateASoft
Dimensional Control Systems
Future Way Designs
Gill Industries
Hapco Inc
Howmet Corporation
Identify 3D
Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center
MachiningCloud
MakerSweet
MAL USA
Mastercam
North Carolina State University
Northwest Analytics
Orion Quality Software
Panduit Corporation
Prairiefire Consulting
Scientific Forming Technologies Corp
Serra Laser Precision
Source3
Teradyne
Tesla Motors
Texas State University
University of Washington
Weasler Engineering Inc
Westinghouse Electric Company
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We're always looking for talented individuals to join our team. Check out current job openings on our Careers page.
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