Advanced Manufacturing Center Builds Core Team

Zimmerman holds an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Iowa State University and comes to the center from Pratt & Whitney, where he worked for more than six years as an engineer developing turbine and combustor coatings. “Advanced manufacturing demands continuous research and development to remain competitive,” said Zimmerman. “This center gives industry a new approach to research and development, one that makes it easier and likelier to develop marketplace advantages. I’m glad to be part of it.”

Stremler, who holds an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia, joins the center from Newport News Shipbuilding. His background is primarily in polymeric coatings and associated preparation, application and inspection processes.

Research projects in surface engineering and manufacturing systems are underway at member-university labs as CCAM completes construction of its new, state-of-the-art, 60,000 sq ft facility in Prince George County, VA, just south of Richmond and adjacent to a Rolls-Royce jet engine components plant. The building, scheduled to open during September, features computational and large-scale production labs, high bay and open production space for heavy equipment and other tools required to explore CCAM’s research focus areas.

CCAM industry members include Aerojet, Canon Virginia, Chromalloy, Newport News Shipbuilding, Rolls-Royce, Sandvik Coromant, Siemens and Sulzer Metco. University members include the University of Virginia, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.

“We are fortunate to add the caliber of talent that Farinholt, Stremler and Zimmerman bring to our research center,” said David Lohr, the president and executive director of CCAM. “They’re experienced, accomplished experts who will immediately impact our capability to fulfill its promise to members: transforming research into business advantage quickly.”

CCAM is a research-based collaboration between the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia State University and manufacturing companies worldwide. Manufacturers join the center as members and guide research leveraging both university faculty and scientists in the center in two focus areas: surface engineering and manufacturing systems. www.ccam-va.com