Cumberland Additive Expands to Neighborhood 91 3D Printing Campus in Pittsburgh

The Neighborhood 91 (N91) 3D printing campus at Pittsburgh International Airport is starting to build up its population. In addition to Wabtec, which recently opened the doors to its facility there, Rusal America, Arencibia, and The Barnes Global Advisors will all have operations at the site. Now, they will have a new neighbor, 3D printing provider Cumberland Additive.

3D printing facilities at Cumberland Additive. Image courtesy of Cumberland Additive.

Headquartered in Pflugerville, TX, Cumberland Additive is an additive engineering and production firm that relies primarily on powder bed fusion to 3D print metals and polymers. The company was founded in 2006 as Directed Manufacturing and grew continuously since then before finding new ownership in May 2019. Several executives, board members, and advisors have experience in the military space, giving them strong links to that sector.

President John Jenkins was previously with RTI International Metals, acquired by Alcoa, and Board Chair Dawne Hickton is chief operating officer for Jacobs Engineering Group, the 22^nd-leading government contractor with a revenue of about $17 billion. Before that she led RTI as CEO. John Barnes, Chief Technical Advisor, also held leadership positions at RTI, as well as Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Honeywell.

Jenkins said of the new location, “Consolidating the supply chain for AM at the innovative Neighborhood 91 production campus helps us mitigate risks, costs, and complexities for our customers. We’re excited to be part of the neighborhood to work together to further ignite the industry.”

In referencing the firm’s plans to collaborate with local universities and workforce development agencies to train workers in AM, Hickton, who is a native of Pittsburgh, noted, “Pittsburgh has always had a strong manufacturing culture, and Cumberland will be able to tap into this skilled workforce to quickly grow its production capacity.”

The firm also has an extensive array of CNC machining equipment that will allow it not only to finish its own 3D printed parts, but those of other N91 tenants. This includes the site’s anchor tenant, Wabtec, who has an aggressive strategy for adopting additive manufacturing for the production of railway parts.

Wabtec and Cumberland working together is a demonstration of the synergistic ecosystem N91 is striving for. While Rusal will supply aluminum powders for 3D printing, Arencibia will recycle and provide argon gas needed for the metal 3D printers on site, and Cumberland will be able to offer CNC machining of Wabtec components.

“We are pleased to welcome Cumberland Additive to Neighborhood 91,” said Philip Moslener, Vice President of Advanced Technologies at Wabtec. “Cumberland is an established additive manufacturing supplier, who brings a unique expertise and skillset. Their addition to Neighborhood 91 will build upon the collaborative spirit of this community and accelerate the development, adoption and application of additive technology.”

Cumberland believes that it will be fully operational at the N91 location in Q4 of this year. John Barnes, who was one of the primary planners for the N91 campus, hinted at what other firms would be moving in next, saying, “As a part manufacturer, Cumberland Additive joins Wabtec as an anchor tenant forming the foundation of the Neighborhood 91 supply chain strategy. These manufacturers will drive the need for the next tenants who will provide powder, thermal treatment, testing, and analysis on campus.”