Pittsburgh International Airport Develops Additive Manufacturing End-to-End Ecosystem, First Tenant Signs Agreement

Pittsburgh International Airport has announced plans for Neighborhood 91, a campus concept developed to condense and connect all components of the additive manufacturing supply chain into one production neighborhood concept. The University of Pittsburgh is a key partner in the development of Neighborhood 91 – both for its research and development and workforce development. The university’s applied additive manufacturing and supply chain research in addition to piloting programs to augment the professional pipeline are said to help fuel the neighborhood concept.

“...through Neighborhood 91, we have laid the groundwork to become the global epicenter,” says Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Neighborhood 91’s first (anchor) tenant – Arencibia, a company that recycles gases throughout the aerospace and additive manufacturing supply chain – has already signed up.

“The Neighborhood 91 model is innovation at its core: marrying technological, commercial and public-private collaboration to fundamentally change the industry,” says Joe Arencibia, President.

The Neighborhood 91 concept is based on shared capital resources at the core of the development. It will house a complete end-to-end ecosystem offering:

• Powder, parts, post-production, testing and analysis
• Communal powder storage facilities
• Efficiencies in production/post-production and delivery
• Tenants’ clients cost savings from on-demand printing
• Reduced transportation costs
• Airport access
• Argon, helium and other noble gases are elements used in additive manufacturing that connect with around 60% of additive manufacturing costs

“Neighborhood 91 brings together the kind of collaborative environment needed to lead in today’s competitive advanced manufacturing economy,” says University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “It combines the region’s strength in additive manufacturing and advanced materials industries with the intellectual capital of its world-class research universities.”

As part of Neighborhood 91, the airport is planning to construct a second microgrid to power the development and further increase cost savings for tenants. Construction is expected to begin in 2020.

“Additive manufacturing is looking for a place to call home and no one has made that happen – until now,” says Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis.