CCAC and the ARM Institute Announce Build Back Better Funding for Makerspace

The new CCAC Entrepreneurial Labs and Makerspace will include cobots, welding equipment, and more to upskill students in western Pennsylvania.

By Robotics 24/7 Staff    May 8, 2023         

CCAC and the ARM Institute Announce Build Back Better Funding for Makerspace

Community College of Allegheny County

A new CCAC makerspace will provide regional manufacturers and entrepreneurs with access to equipment, knowledge, and other resources.

Email Sign Up

Get news, papers, media and research delivered. Sign up for our free newsletters.

Stay up-to-date with news and resources you need to do your job. Research industry trends, compare companies and get weekly market intelligence with Robotics 24/7.

Robotics 24/7 newsletter
CCAC and the ARM Institute Announce Build Back Better Funding for Makerspace

Community College of Allegheny County

A new CCAC makerspace will provide regional manufacturers and entrepreneurs with access to equipment, knowledge, and other resources.

The Community College of Allegheny County, or CCAC, and the ARM Institute last week announced that the Southwestern Pennsylvania Region's Build Back Better initiative is funding a makerspace. The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the educational program through the initiative.

"Community colleges are engines of regional economic development," stated Dr. Justin Starr, endowed professor for advanced technologies at CCAC, in a release.

"We are committed to providing affordable opportunities for upskilling, training, and pathways to family-sustaining wages," he added. "The funding of the new Entrepreneurial Labs & Makerspace will enable us to build on our existing capabilities and support a greater number of organizations and individuals,"

CCAC is one of four funded regional makerspaces, along with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Penn State New Kensington, and Westmoreland County Community College.

New CCAC makerspace to provide access to automation

Located at CCAC West Hills Center and scheduled to open this summer, the new CCAC Entrepreneurial Labs & Makerspace is intended to provide the college community and regional businesses with access to advanced manufacturing, robotics, and automation equipment. The space will contain a variety of machining equipment, 3D printers, collaborative robots, high-end computer workstations, and soldering stations, said CCAC.

That technology and other resources will allow community members to fabricate prototypes, products for sale, and digital resources at an extremely low cost, the college claimed.

The Entrepreneurial Labs & Makerspace is also designed to provide a secure co-working location and office area for individuals seeking to create or scale innovative business ideas, according to CCAC.

About the ARM Institute

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing or ARM Institute said it is a leading Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Since 2017, the institute has worked with its nearly 400 member organizations to catalyze more than 120 robotics and workforce projects to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.

The ARM Institute said it facilitates collaboration among industry, government, and academia to advance systems that address urgent needs in manufacturing. As a nonprofit organization, the institute said it acts as a broker between robotics and manufacturing stakeholders.

Through the grant, the ARM Institute plans to advise the makerspaces and help expand the scope of their services to benefit small and midsized manufacturers and manufacturing entrepreneurs.

A webinar series hosted by the Community College of Allegheny County and the University of Pittsburgh African American Alumni Council designed to educate the community and CCAC students on careers in STEM education.

 

Latest in Workforce

Latest in Industrial Automation

Article Topics

Industrial Automation   Collaborative Robots   Software   Data Management   News   Press Release   ARM Institute   Community College of Allegheny County   Education and Training   Welding   Workforce  

All topics

Editors' Picks

The future of CFD is connected, automated, and AI-enabled
The future of CFD is connected, automated, and AI-enabled

From geometry preparation to AI-assisted analysis, integrated CFD workflows…

Festo gets a grip on AI-based picking
Festo gets a grip on AI-based picking

Software-based GripperAI manages mixed picking through basic geometry

How Beckhoff Automation’s EtherCAT and controllers power Dexterity’s Mech ‘superhumanoid’ robot
How Beckhoff Automation’s EtherCAT and controllers power Dexterity’s Mech ‘superhumanoid’ robot

Safety, communication and motion control components enable smooth operation

Automate 2026: Forklifts, physical AI, vision systems and more from day three in Chicago
Automate 2026: Forklifts, physical AI, vision systems and more from day three in Chicago

North America’s largest robotics and automation event winds down