Facilities
The Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery (C3R) is located in the Louise Slaughter Building (Building 78) on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology. This purpose built facility contains remanufacturing research bays, dedicated laboratories, and training facilities designed to support applied research.
Overall, there are 170,000 square-feet of laboratory and office space and support solution developments in 6 large, flexible manufacturing bays; more than 20 specialized technology-based laboratories; and a 10-room, 400-seat conference and training facility equipped with video, Ethernet, and teleconferencing capabilities. Industries can train and upgrade their workforces, obtain high-quality technical assistance, and gain hands-on experience with the newest technologies from applied R&D to pre-production.
In addition, companies can lease space to conduct R&D projects in remanfuacturing without the interruption of daily activities and can also rent space for one-time conference activities or meetings.
C3R also has access to several other RIT industrial researchlaboratories hosted in building 78 (Center for Sustainable Production, Center for Sustainable Mobility, Systems Modernization and Sustainment Center) on an as-needed basis. In addition, C3R engineers may draw upon the equipment and expertise found in numerous other specialized research and development facilities located throughout the RIT campus.
High Bay Flex Space
The centerpiece of C3R is Bay 1 — a large, flexible remanufacturing research bay that provides suitable space for project work as well as long-term reman program development. Key research apparatus, laboratories, and activities hosted in the High Bay include:
Mustang Transmission Dynamometer
For evaluating of transmissions, gearboxes and universal joints in terms of remanufacturability. The test apparatus includes control software and instrumentation.
Click here for a descriptive data sheet Transmission Dynamometer test facility.
Mustang Engine Dynamometer
Capable of testing remanufactured diesel or heavy fuel engines up to 350 hp. Two 300 gallon storage tanks allow for automated pre-mixing of two different fuels. Includes control software and instrumentation, emissions analyzer and soot analyzer. Capable of unattended, 24 hour operation. Links to network allow installation of sensors and other test equipment.
Click here for a descriptive data sheet and here to access a more detailed report on the Engine Dynamometer test facility.
Equipment and Parts Cleaning Laboratory
Components and parts destined for remanufacturing usually require some degree of cleaning first. This laboratory incorporates a large complement of modern industrial cleaning equipment and test facilities used to evaluate parts-cleaning procedures, materials, techniques and equipment.
Reverse Engineering/Metrology Laboratory
This facility specializes in the disassembly, inspection and documentation, and re-engineering of large system being evaluated for remanufacturing. Lab capabilities include remanufacturing process development and evaluation.
Materials Engineering Laboratory
The Materials Engineering Laboratory staff of engineers and technicians analyzes how the physical and mechanical properties of remanufactured components meet desired design characteristics. This lab's capabilities include: tensile, fatigue, and hardness testing; heat treating; failure analysis using optical and scanning electron microscopy techniques; metallography; and material restoration.
Design Capture/Metrology Laboratory
When products are recovered from end-of-life, specifications, such as material requirements and dimensional tolerances, are often unavailable to remanufacturers. The Design Capture/Metrology Laboratory is equipped with instruments to accurately reconstruct missing product information to enable the remanufacturing process. Other capabilities include coordinate measuring and non-contact optical gauging.
Systems Performance and Reliability Laboratory
The Systems Performance and Reliability Lab houses a Dynamometer Test Stand, used for the power-train component testing of remanufactured transmissions, gearboxes, and differentials. Life-cycle/durability testing, failure mode evaluation, prognostics development, and qualification/performance testing are performed on these components.