Missouri S&T will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Missouri Protoplex, a new 117,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 15. Attendees should RSVP for the event at go.mst.edu/protoplexrsvp by Wednesday, April 8.

“With the opening of the Missouri Protoplex, Missouri S&T is redefining what is possible for a university to accomplish with advanced manufacturing,” says Dr. Mo Dehghani, chancellor of Missouri S&T. “This facility will be one of the most advanced and comprehensive of its kind in the nation and will position us — and our partners — at the forefront of manufacturing research and development and preparing the next generation of manufacturing professionals.”

Dehghani says the Protoplex, located at 1700 White Columns Drive in Rolla, will serve as a statewide hub for advanced manufacturing, bringing together research, workforce development and industry collaboration in one facility. It will support work in areas such as additive manufacturing, advanced metallurgy, aerospace manufacturing and materials for extreme environments.

The facility includes 40,000 square feet of high-bay manufacturing space and more than 60 industrial-scale pieces of equipment and manufacturing systems, and S&T has already secured more than $22 million to support collaborations with its industry and research partners.

“The Missouri Protoplex creates an environment where Missouri S&T researchers can work closely with industry partners to address real manufacturing challenges,” says Dr. Richard Billo, director of the Missouri Protoplex and Distinguished Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “It allows us to accelerate the transition from new ideas to manufacturing solutions and will be especially significant for small- and mid-sized manufacturers across Missouri that may not otherwise have access to these capabilities.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and University of Missouri President Mun Y. Choi will speak at the event, along with other Missouri higher education and manufacturing stakeholders.

A reception and open house will follow the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Attendees will be able to tour the Protoplex and visit with students and engineers on hand to demonstrate equipment, discuss their research and answer questions.

For more information about the Missouri Protoplex, visit protoplex.mst.edu.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.