Click Bond, a global aerospace manufacturing leader, is excited to announce that it has teamed with the Southern Methodist University Lyle School of Engineering's Center for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing (CDHAM) as a full member. As an industry partner in CDHAM, Click Bond will join associate member Lockheed Martin in exploring how digital twins, AI, virtual reality, and other new technologies will shape the future of manufacturing.

CDHAM, a novel research initiative launched in 2024, explores the intersection of digital manufacturing and human augmentation to drive industry progress. Harnessing the power of robotics, artificial intelligence, and extended reality (XR), CDHAM's mission is to change manufacturing for the better. CDHAM focuses on recruiting high-impact industry partners to develop digital solutions to current challenges, driving innovation at the industry level.

Click Bond has risen to that challenge through full membership at the $50,000 level. This provides an opportunity to pioneer research in the realms of digital modeling, simulations, augmented reality, robotics, automation, and AI on a more proprietary level, fostering a deeper collaboration that yields impactful outcomes. As a current supplier to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 and other advanced programs, Click Bond looks forward to partnering at CDHAM, alongside Lockheed Martin, in exploring how this technology can streamline manufacturing, advance operations, propel workforce development, and enhance efficiency.

As a manufacturer of adhesive-bonded fasteners for use in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications, Click Bond unlocks design flexibility and eliminates the cost and risk of drilling of structural holes. “It's an engineering marvel,” shares Chris Colaw, SMU Lyle alum and Co-Executive Director of CDHAM. “Every company in the world that builds airplanes uses Click Bond hardware.”

In an industry where precision makes the difference, aviation manufacturers need solutions they can count on to ensure their products maintain the highest standards of safety, performance, and affordability. As a new member of CDHAM, Click Bond is collaborating with SMU Lyle to refine the installation of its fasteners on aircraft structures by harnessing the clarity, speed, and extreme precision made possible through its digital solutions and the use of mixed reality.

“Forty years ago, Click Bond delivered revolutionary freedom of design and economy of assembly with our bonded fastener technology to aerospace,” says Click Bond CEO Karl Hutter. “Now, this exciting partnership with SMU Lyle's CDHAM allows us to contribute to the technical achievement, economic competitiveness, and construction and maintenance of some of the world's most sophisticated programs, allowing us, alongside our longtime partner Lockheed Martin, to help shape the trajectory of advanced manufacturing.”

For CDHAM, this transformative partnership is only the beginning. As it expands and takes on additional partnerships, researchers intend to explore the full range of digital innovation through human-machine collaboration.

“Click Bond's focus on digital excellence makes it the perfect first Regular Member at CDHAM. Its participation in the Center will be synergistic with Lockheed Martin, which is the first Associate Member at CDHAM, and the other rocketry and robotic manufacturing research that is occurring.” says Colaw.