New state-of-the-art facility provides access to advanced materials, manufacturing tools
Industry collaborators tour the Biodesign Institute's new shared manufacturing lab managed by the Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing on Tuesday, June 9. The facility provides access to advanced tools that support electron microscopy, thermal analysis, light scattering, mechanical testing, gas permeability, water uptake, rheology and 3D printing. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
A new facility on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus will provide researchers and corporate partners with access to an extensive suite of advanced materials and manufacturing tools.
The Biodesign Institute celebrated the opening of the facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tours this month.
Managed by the Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing, or SM3, the facility houses tools that support research such as scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, light scattering, mechanical testing, gas permeability measurements, water uptake analysis and rheological testing to better understand and optimize material performance.
The lab also features cutting-edge additive manufacturing technologies, ranging from extrusion-based systems to light-driven 3D printers.
Among its most notable additions is the Cubicure Caligma printer, the first system of its kind in the United States capable of integrating extrusion and light-based printing at the micron scale, opening new possibilities for precision manufacturing and materials development.
The new laboratory represents the transformation of the former ASU Biodesign Clinical Testing Lab — best known as the site of the university’s large-scale COVID-19 saliva testing operations — into a state-of-the-art research hub dedicated to advancing sustainable materials innovation.
The facility is already serving a growing community of researchers, with approximately 60 faculty members, students and staff from across ASU utilizing the space and its resources.
By bringing together expertise in materials science, engineering, chemistry and manufacturing, the center aims to accelerate the development of sustainable products and technologies while strengthening Arizona’s innovation ecosystem.
During the ceremony, attendees heard from Biodesign leaders and industry partners about the importance of investing in shared research infrastructure that can support both fundamental discovery and commercial translation.
“We're focused on sustainability,” said Tim Long, director of the Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing. “And these days what does that mean? That means resiliency. It means supply chain. It means using our resources more effectively. It means being more competitive as a nation, more competitive with our companies and more effectively educating our students, the future generation, the future workforce.”
The new laboratory is also expected to serve as a catalyst for expanded partnerships with leading instrument manufacturers and private industry, helping drive Arizona-based product innovation and workforce development.
Industry representatives participating in the event highlighted the value of collaborative research environments that connect academic expertise with real-world challenges.
"What this expansion does in practice is reduce friction,” said Jeff Addy, an ASU alumnus and research and development manager from Cargill Bioindustrial. “It means you can move from an idea to real data faster, ask better questions and iterate more quickly. That changes the kind of work you can do, not just how fast you can do it."
Following the ribbon cutting, guests toured the laboratory and explored the technologies that will support the next generation of sustainable materials research and manufacturing at ASU.
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