Wabtec starts operations at Neighborhood 91 additive hub

Photo: Wabtec Corporation.

Wabtec Corporation started operations at Neighborhood 91, the additive manufacturing production campus at Pittsburgh International Airport’s Innovation Campus.

“Advances in additive technology are changing the way we design and build the next generation of business-critical, sustainable products for our customers,” said Eric Gebhardt, Chief Technology Officer, Wabtec. “Neighborhood 91 and its one-of-a-kind additive ecosystem will help foster creative solutions to engineering challenges and breakthroughs in 3D printing. Our Neighborhood 91 facility and the other additive labs in Western Pennsylvania will accelerate new innovations that shrink lead times, reduce cost and increase reliability.”

Wabtec’s site at Neighborhood 91 features an SLM800 printer, which will produce large-scale, lightweight parts for rail industry customers. Production will include metal aluminum transit components like brake parts, heat sinks for freight locomotives, among other rail applications.

The company plans to use additive technologies to produce over 25,000 parts by 2025 in support of the internal supply chain.

Neighborhood 91 is developed to condense and connect components of the additive manufacturing and 3D-printing supply chain into one production ecosystem. Its concept is based on co-located capital resources at the core of the development.

“Part of the vision for Neighborhood 91 is to highlight the assets of the region right at the airport so we can build on community strengths,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO, Airport Authority, Allegheny County. “For Wabtec, a global manufacturing leader, to choose Neighborhood 91 for its advanced manufacturing is a sign that our region has all it needs to be a leader in this space. I thank Wabtec for their leadership and partnership.”