Wichita State University and Dassault Systèmes have opened the Manufacturing Innovation Center on the Innovation Campus. Built with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), the centre is aimed at helping aviation companies of all sizes improve efficiency and resilience using virtual twin and 3D design technologies.

Private companies can use the facility to test out digital tools for product development, supply chains and manufacturing workflows. It is based among several industry-driven research spaces on campus, strengthening WSU’s role in applied aerospace and manufacturing innovation.

The launch event featured remarks from Bell Textron and Dassault’s DELMIA leaders, along with a tour of NIAR’s ATLAS lab.

Facility demonstrations included:

- XR Lab – Immersive, full-scale simulation using the world’s largest flexible VR cave

- Automation Research Center – Intelligent robotics showing how automation works in real production settings

- Reverse Engineering Lab – Agile digital workflows that recreate and inspect physical parts

- Additive Manufacturing Lab – Scalable 3D printing for fast prototyping and low-rate production

Guests also visited NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS), where companies can trial materials and techniques before investing in equipment.

Dassault Systèmes has been part of the Innovation Campus since 2015 and helped open the 3DEXPERIENCE Center in 2017. This latest project furthers the goal of linking WSU students and researchers with global industry partners.