Additive Manufacturing Adoption
- Final fatigue testing complete. Alloy 718 specs draft continues to be reviewed by industry partners and will be submitted to NCAMP for board approval. Estimated publish date by August 31, 2026.
- 718 qualification promotion is ongoing through NCAMP and NIAR websites, additives materials conferences, OEM and SMM industry partners, and area economic development agencies.
- Sustainability options include ongoing on-demand factory qualification audits, additional material qualifications, HAMR tours for potential industry partners, and conference speaking engagements.
- Additive Manufacturing class annual lineup will include 2-3 virtual Policy Makers, 4 Intro to Additive Mfg. at NCAT, and 2 Intermediate Additive Mfg. and 1 Expert Additive Mfg. classes at NCAT/HAMR.
- The new Hexcel Applications Center at ATLAS broke ground in May 2026. This center is a collaboration between NIAR and Hexcel and further strengthens Kansas’ position as a global hub for aerospace research, design, and manufacturing, while highlighting the importance of collaboration among industry, academia, and government.
Smart Manufacturing/Future Factory
- NIAR AMP selected Nelson Inc’s. bid for an overhead crane and free-standing runway system to be installed near its gantry CNC machines. Crane installation will start in Fall 2026.
- NIAR formalized its training partnership with Hexagon Metrology for CMM and PC-DMIS classes. Classes tentatively starting in late 2026.
- AMP is working with Renishaw Metrology in development of a similar training partnership for their software products. AMP’s instructor has begun co-teaching ballbar classes.
- AMP’s metrology staff are active in the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) and are in talks to become a regional testing center for CMS industry recognized Level-One Professional Certification for Metrologists.
- AMP’s sustainability planning includes continued development training of Single Truth Manufacturing (STM) for SMM’s workforce, defining processes, and developing culture as OEM’s move towards an MBE system.
- WSU Tech is partnering with LEXX Online for CMMC curriculum while using a revenue-sharing model to gain access to LEXX’s large customer network.
Construction
Construction
Hub for Advanced Manufacturing (HAMR) Occupancy and Commissioning
- NIAR lab staff move-in is complete and equipment installation is ongoing.
- Punch list items are close to completion.
- Some corrections require replacement materials to be ordered - all corrections are
anticipated to be complete by the end of August
2026. - Building systems commissioning is underway.
- Full project completion was completed in August 2026.
- HAMR Open House for industry partners, economic development, and other VIPs was held on June 10th.
- HAMR Open House for NIAR and WSU staff, family, and friends was held on June 11th.
- Occupancy includes the following groups: Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, Automation Research Center, CAD/CAM, Digital Twin, Reverse Engineering, and WSU Tech’s Smart Manufacturing workforce training.
Governance and Evaluation
Governance and Evaluation
- Strategic Initiatives staff attended a convening of EDA Build Back Regional Coalitions April 22-24 in NeoCity, Florida. Core themes were building high-tech workforce development pipelines and scaling regional tech hubs in the semiconductor field.
- Annual KART Advisory Board Meeting held June 22nd .
- Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce utilized a BBR marketing student assistant to assist with the ICT Summer Intern program. Tasks included handling communication and social media coverage, including designing a program for a summer college intern discount program with area businesses.
- Strategic Initiatives’ SVP, Debra Franklin, continues to have strong interactions
on LinkedIn (3,438 impressions) and frequent
requests from industry, academic, and economic development leaders for JBC and HAMR tours.
| Training (Apr. -Jun. 2026) | # of Firms Served | # of Clients Served | # of Training Offerings | Total Training Hours | # Upcoming Training Scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Additive Manufacturing |
B2 | C2 | D2 | E2 | Intro to Additive Manufacturing, July 15-16, 2026, Intermediate Additives Manufacturing, Sept. 15-17, 2026 |
| Automated Fiber Placement | B3 | C3 | D3 | E3 | Intro to Automated Fiber Placement Manufacturing, Aug. 19, 2026, AFP Programming, Nov. 2-6, 2026 |
| Machining Training | B4 | C4 | D4 | E4 | Coordinate Metrology Society Conference, Dallas, TX July 21st and 22nd - two classes each of GD&T, CMC 3- and 5-axis, ongoing GD&T, Metrology |
| Future Factory Training | B5 | C5 | D5 | E5 | WSU Tech - Summer 2026 Robotics IoT credit class, (4) Wichita USD 259 Middle School Summer Camps |
| Total (Cumulative To Date) | 396 | 3,495 | 97 | 27,569* | *Includes attendance numbers for 8 weeks of summer K-12 STEM camps. |
