Another Center of Energy Excellence
by Bruce Goodman
Eaton Rapids gained the newest Center of Energy Excellence when the Michigan Strategic Fund board approved a $3.5 million grant to URV USA, a subsidiary of a Finnish supplier, to manufacture wind turbine hub and bedplate castings. Collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the foundry’s new technology will reduce from five days to five hours the time it takes to produce a casting. Michigan Technological University will assist with alloy development, casting grating system design, and solidification simulation. Already URV has sold out its initial capacity and will need to expand operations. With this award the Center Of Energy Excellence program has reached its maximum $10 million funding limit for the current year.
