University of Northern Iowa foundry center receives state funding for new equipment

The University of Northern Iowa will use state funding to expand the capabilities of its foundry center.

The Cedar Falls university announced that the Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded UNI with $970,000 through its Strategic Infrastructure Program. Funds will go to purchasing new equipment for the Foundry 4.0 Center, an off-campus facility focused on exploring new technologies for the foundry industry alongside the university’s Metal Casting Center.

“This funding will go a long way to keep the facility and equipment operating in a way to support ongoing research,” said Stewart Carter, head of UNI’s Department of Applied Engineering, in a news release.

The funding will be used to purchase a 3D sand printer and an induction furnace for the foundry center, according to the release. The center will use the sand printer to “create complex molds and cores directly from digital designs,” the release stated, cutting down on time and effort. The induction furnace will increase the center’s capacity to melt metal for research and industry work.

With this new equipment, the foundry center will be better equipped to support student learning and collaboration with Iowa companies, the release stated.

Metal Casting Center Associate Director Nathaniel Bryant collaborated with industry partners to show the center’s need for new equipment and submitted the application for funding, the release stated.

“This is quite a humbling moment for me,” Bryant said in the release. “UNI has given me so much, and it is about time I am able to give back something notable. This is only the beginning of more great things to come from the Metal Casting Center.”