MechSE professor joins leaders for DMDII groundbreaking

Work has officially begun on the 94,000-square-foot Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute. MechSE professor William King was on hand for the shovel-in-dirt ceremony and took time to explain some of the institute's details to state and national government leaders, including U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Located on Chicago's Goose Island, this applied research institute will develop digital manufacturing technologies and commercialize them within key industries. These technologies will be used to make everything from consumer products to heavy machinery to equipment for the military. It will receive more than $320 million in initial funding. MechSE professors Placid Ferreira and King, the DMDII's chief technology officer, were key players in forming the public-private partnership that won out over many worthy contenders throughout the U.S.