Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT), a national manufacturing innovation institute operated by the American Lightweight Materials Innovation Institute (ALMMII), announced it is loaning its tilt-pour casting machine to Michigan Technological University to enhance teaching and research at the school’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Foundry.

The machine, produced by Hall CMH Manufacturing, had been housed at LIFT’s research and development facility in Detroit since 2017. Recently, the need for additional equipment arose at MTU, an original LIFT member, so LIFT and the university agreed to a long-term loan to help boost the university’s MSE programming.

“While casting as a manufacturing process has been around for a long time, there is still innovation taking place, including the development of new alloys and casting methods. This, in turn, could enable the use of lighter materials or using less material in the final shape resulting in a lighter component,” said Hadrian Rori, Chief Technology Officer, LIFT. “We are happy to provide this machine to MTU where it will be used to help expand its already outstanding MSE program.”

“LIFT’s tilt-pour casting machine will enable our university to pursue industry-sponsored projects involving this technology, as well as help educate our students to an even greater degree,” said Russ Stein, MTU research engineer. “We’re grateful to LIFT for this equipment.”

The LIFT facility, in Detroit’s Corktown area, is home to approximately $20 million in full-scale equipment for research and development and small batch manufacturing purposes