Wabtec
Wabtec has announced the opening of a new 11,000-square-foot facility at the Neighbourhood 91 additive manufacturing production campus.
Neighbourhood 91 is located adjacent to the runways at Pittsburgh International Airport at the 195-acre Pittsburgh Airport Innovation Campus. It was announced in 2019 as an international hub for additively manufactured parts, featuring facilities able to produce gases, store powders, print and post-process parts, complete testing and quality assurance, and ship to any location within 24 hours.
Wabtec has decided to set up shop at Neighbourhood 91 to support its efforts in the rail industry. With an SLM 800 system from SLM Solutions, Wabtec is to produce large-scale and lightweight parts, such as brake parts and heat sinks, for its rail industry customers. It believes by deploying additive manufacturing, it can reduce lead times by up to 80% via a ‘simplified supply chain’ at a ‘competitive price point.’ Wabtec plans to use additive technologies to produce over 25,000 parts by 2025 in support of the internal supply chain.
“Advances in additive technology are changing the way we design and build the next generation of business-critical, sustainable products for our customers,” commented Eric Gebhardt, Wabtec’s Chief Technology Officer. “Neighbourhood 91 and its one-of-a-kind additive ecosystem will help foster creative solutions to engineering challenges and breakthroughs in 3D printing. Our Neighbourhood 91 facility and the other additive labs in Western Pennsylvania will accelerate new innovations that shrink lead times, reduce cost and increase reliability.”
Christina Cassotis, Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO, added: “Part of the vision for Neighbourhood 91 is to highlight the assets of the region right at the airport so we can build on community strengths. For Wabtec, a global manufacturing leader, to choose Neighbourhood 91 for its advanced manufacturing is a sign that our region has all it needs to be a leader in this space. I thank Wabtec for their leadership and partnership.”
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