HAMR (Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research)
Crossland Construction Company project updates.
December 2025
- 1st floor cabinets being set and 2nd floor countertops installation.
- Fire sprinklers, devices, lights and speakers installed in areas B and C.
- Tiling near completion in the 1st and 2nd floor restrooms.
- 2nd floor carpeting and drop ceiling tiles complete.
- Interior and exterior metal panels are nearly complete.
- 1st floor terrazzo floors and Area C& D epoxy floors are nearing completion.
- South exterior courtyard steel fence has been installed.
- Sidewalk connecting the Airbus building to HAMR’s north entrance has been poured.
- First floor Area B overhead crane installed.
- Engagement with industry and regulatory authorities including the DoD, GE Additive, and Boeing continues in support of a part production qualification whitepaper to assist industry with the development of qualified factories. This white paper was completed and company outreach in all areas is still a focus through out Additive Manufacturing.
- Final fatigue testing complete. Alloy718 specs draft is written, and team is now reviewing edits. White Paper will be submitted to NCAMP for board approval with an estimated publish date by the end of February 2026.
- Additive Manufacturing training is currently on hiatus while machinery is being prepared to move to HAMR after the first of the year. Focus is now on curriculum enhancement, identifying classroom and lab scheduling process for HAMR, and to build a more robust marketing strategy to reach SMM manufacturers regionally who could be interested in adopting AM.
- ATLAS announced a new partnership with Qarbon Aerospace and was featured in Composites World for its FPP technology use.
- WSU Tech hosted its annual Manufacturing Day even at NCAT on Friday, October 3rd 2025, for 125 area high school seniors exploring hands-on workshops, an opportunity to connect with industry leaders, and to discover career pathways in tech and manufacturing.
- NIAR hosted its 2025 Manufacturing Day at NCAT on Thursday October 23, 2025. Speakers spoke on the latest advancements in automated metrology, artificial intelligence, aerospace manufacturing, and a virtual reality preview video of the new Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research (HAMR) building, funded by the EDA's Build Back Better Regional Challenge was shown.
- AMP hosted a Fall Showcase Open House in conjunction with NIAR’s Manufacturing Day 2025 event on October 21st.
- WSU Tech hosted the Wichita Manufacturing Association’s November member event, Manufacturing Automation Forum 2025, at NCAT. NIAR’s ARC Director, Matt Tomblin gave the Keynote address “The Current & Future State of Automation and then two panels of industry experts address topics on “planning and developing automation adoption strategies and lessons learned”.
- AMP training in this quarter included two GD&T classes, Concepts and Application and Analysis, Metrologic’s Metrology in Motion, and ongoing training for five applied learning students working part-time at AMP.
- Strategic Initiatives team members continue to engage in BBR Communities of Practice virtual meetings.
- Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce sponsored the 2025 Kansas Economic Outlook Conference to explore the future of Kansas industry, innovation, and economic opportunities.
- The Chamber’s I&D committee met in October and hosted a Military Affairs Luncheon in November. They also partnered with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to host a Gala event recognizing local Hispanic businesses and business leaders.
- Create Campaign graduated its Eleventh SPARK cohort group of 18 aspiring small business entrepreneurs in December.
Quarterly Spotlight
NIAR’s ATLAS Lab hosted the 2025 ACIS Conference, a three-day event from October 1-3, 2025, at ATLAS’s Sector A Facility with associated lab tours. There were 225 people in attendance, including attendees from nine countries, 30 states, and 75 organizations. NIAR’s AMP Lab hosted a Showcase Open House with machining and metrology demonstrations and a ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony for the new EDA-funded RigiMill gantry CNC machine. They convened 86 industry and vendor partners to showcase AMP’s training, research, prototyping, and production capabilities. NIAR celebrated its 40th Anniversary in the HAMR building with nearly 600 RSVPs from local industry, city/county/state political leaders, WSU/NIAR/WSU Tech Leadership, and special attendance and Keynote addresses by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
| Training (Sep. 2022 -Dec. 2025) | # of Firms Served | # of Clients Served | # of Training Offerings | Total Training Hours | #UpcomingTraining Scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additive Manufacturing | 31 | 119 | 14 | 1,592 | Additive Manufacturing for Policy Makers, March 23, 2026 |
| Automated Fiber Placement | 80 | 363 | 15 | 8,897 | Intro to AFP, February 4, 2026 |
| Machining Training | 80 | 397 | 19 | 7,219 | GD&T Classes available at industry request, Single Truth Manufacturing (Single Source of Truth for CAD Precision and Digital Definition) and advanced tooling curriculums development in process |
| Future Factory Training | 276 | 1,748 | 28 | 17,743* | WSU Tech, Academic IoT courses offered in their Robotics program |
| Total (Cumulative to Date) | 381 | 2,328 | 71 | 26,726* | *Includes attendance numbers for 8 weeks of summer STEM camps |
