Chippewa Valley Times

Small and midsize manufacturers in Wisconsin and Minnesota have a new resource to aid their growth and success. The University of Wisconsin-Stout has established the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence (CAM-AI) to leverage university expertise in solving technical issues and conducting research to support private industry.

CAM-AI will collaborate with the UW-Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center, one of two centers in Wisconsin affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology/Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP) national network. These centers provide comprehensive solutions through consulting, training, and workforce development.

"CAM-AI will support Wisconsin’s manufacturers through access to expertise and equipment that are generally not available to small- and medium-size businesses. Our goal is to collaborate with our industry partners in order to help them be even more competitive in a market that is undergoing constant technological change," said Chancellor Katherine Frank.

The center aims to bridge the gap between the MOC and academic departments by bringing applied research, modern technical methods, as well as laboratory, fabrication, and testing services directly to private industry. CAM-AI's objectives include partnering with the MOC for timely academic applied research expertise, providing direct assistance for time-sensitive industry problems, offering services like additive manufacturing and testing, and engaging with initiatives supporting advanced manufacturing and AI.

Wisconsin's manufacturing sector employs over 490,000 workers across more than 8,900 companies. UW-Stout offers resources such as robotics labs which support CAM-AI. Faculty at UW-Stout bring expertise in automation, AI/machine learning, robotics, additive manufacturing, plastics engineering, packaging, industrial design, fabrication, material properties testing among others. In 2023, they introduced a bachelor's program focused on automation leadership.

“Modern manufacturing requires not only all fields of engineering but expertise from computer science, cybersecurity, math and the basic sciences,” stated David Ding. Ding serves as director of both the School of Engineering at UW-Stout as well as CAM-AI; he also participates on Governor Tony Evers’ Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence.

Seth Hudson commented on UW-Stout's role: “UW-Stout's ability to supply expertise across these fields to address practical problems is what distinguishes us as a polytechnic university."

Key elements for CAM-AI’s success include rapid response times coordinated efforts within UW-Stout entities engaging directly with industries while maintaining an approach where no job is too small according Seth Hudson who emphasized that CAM–AI does not compete against private industries but provides referral opportunities unsuitable elsewhere within this space.