Manufacturing engineering technology program receives boost from corporation

Bradley Harriger, a professor of manufacturing engineering technology at Purdue, said the award is especially meaningful because it is the first time that Northrop Grumman, a defense and aerospace company, has given an award of this kind to a program that is not aircraft design-related.

"We are honored that a corporation we've had such a great relationship with in the past is recognizing the importance of production and manufacturing," Harriger said. "Purdue has had a number of collaborations with Northrop Grumman, and we're eager to put our skills toward developing solutions for problems in the aerospace manufacturing industry."

The award was announced during the Aerospace Automation Consortium held in conjunction with the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. The award was part of Northrop Grumman's Industrial Affiliates Program. The University of Arkansas also received an industrial affiliates gift.

Nick Bullen, Northrop Grumman principal engineer for production engineering, western region, said the corporation's positive experience with Purdue was a key factor in awarding the university the first production engineering award.

"Purdue's research, support and educational program is a contributor to the advancement of aerospace manufacturing technology," Bullen said. "Its manufacturing engineering technology program is involved in aerospace manufacturing challenges that directly apply to the products that Northrop Grumman produces."

Bullen said issues such as outer mold line control of airframe airflow surfaces, asset tracking and corrosion control are examples of directed research projects that have benefited the manufacture of Northrop Grumman products.

Bullen said Harriger, along with mechanical engineering technology department head John Hartin, have supported and been involved with a number of Northrop Grumman directed research projects.

Bullen said Purdue has supplied highly motivated and qualified students as interns and employees to the company's production engineering department. In 2005, it hired six Purdue interns.

"Purdue's manufacturing engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology programs are outstanding sources of students for us," he said. "Our collaborative research at Purdue and support from our suppliers have been instrumental in solving critical manufacturing problems, such as the ability to confirm the position of parts using radio frequency technology prior to the machining operation."

He also said that universities such as Purdue will be critical to the company in the future.

"Northrop Grumman and other large aerospace manufacturers are facing the challenges associated with an aging work force that has been compounded by an increasingly complex product," Bullen said. "The challenges to manufacture a modern air vehicle are much greater and require a higher skill and educational base. The research that Purdue does for us and the students it provides are a key element in the move to automate and mechanize the previously hand-built products."

The manufacturing engineering technology program is an interdisciplinary program that utilizes faculty and staff from several departments in the College of Technology. It focuses on automated manufacturing and materials handling using computers to design and manufacture products or in process and quality control.

Northrop Grumman Corp. is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles. It provides products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology to international military, government and commercial customers.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Brad Harriger, (765) 494-7515, bcharrig@purdue.edu

John Hartin, (765) 494-9652, jhartin@purdue.edu

Nick Bullen, (310) 331-5736, george.bullen@ncg.com

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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