VIMANA Awarded Research Contract by The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute

February 17, 2016

Berkeley, CA – VIMANA has been awarded a national contract research award by The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII). The DMDII, a UI LABS collaboration, announced that it has issued six national contract research awards, including funding to test and aid compliance with the nation’s cybersecurity standards for digital manufacturing. The projects span several digital manufacturing disciplines, but each reflects the core mission of DMDII: propelling the field of American digital manufacturing and design forward.

“This cohort of awardees shows what DMDII and UI LABS are all about: smart cross-sector collaboration that is going to enhance competitiveness for the entire industry,” said Dr. Dean Bartles, Chief Manufacturing Officer of UI LABS and Executive Director of DMDII. “Through these projects, we are lowering cost and access barriers to implementing digital manufacturing practices for small manufacturers across the country.”

“This cohort of awardees shows what DMDII and UI LABS are all about: smart crosssector collaboration that is going to enhance competitiveness for the entire industry. Through these projects, we are lowering cost and access barriers to implementing digital manufacturing practices for small manufacturers across the country.” — Dr. Dean Bartles, Chief Manufacturing Officer of UI LABS and Executive Director of DMDII

VIMANA will be working on the Operate, Orchestrate, and Originate (O3) project which is headed by STEP Tools. The O3 project will develop a web environment that will enable users to orchestrate machining and measurement processes from tablets and smart phones. Time and money are wasted when a machining program creates a part that does not conform to the design requirements of the customer. O3 will allow users to check machining programs for conformance from remote locations. When conformance is not met, the service will allow the process to be adjusted using apps. The servers that will be used to host O3 tools will be located at DMDII, and the tools will be available to all manufacturers through the Digital Manufacturing Commons. VIMANA is collaborating with STEP tools, ITI (International TechneGroup Incorporated) and Mitutoyo America.

Will Sobel, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of VIMANA, stated, “VIMANA was founded with the intent of furthering the state of the art in manufacturing and applying the latest technology to overcome the barriers that have impeded our ability to innovate. The O3 project is the first seamless integration of design to manufacturing with standards-based information flow. We are excited to be part of the DMDII and look forward to collaborating with our partners in helping DMDII achieve their goal of developing a robust and open industrial internet platform.”