Institute for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing

Manufacturing & Design Enterprise

a student in an orange shirt polishes a shiny silver piece of metal on a table with large milling machines in the backround.

Tennessee-made solutions for the nation’s next-generation manufacturing industry

UT’s Manufacturing and Design Enterprise houses advanced manufacturing technologies, equipment, and processes that create a competitive advantage for Tennessee companies in the defense, transportation, and advanced energy sectors. Co-located partners have access to UT’s world-class research, facilities, and talent.

UT researchers are national-leading experts in machine tooling, advanced manufacturing, systems thinking and design, and global supply chain.

Elevate your Business

Contact us to discuss partnership opportunities.

Joshua Penney
Director
Email: jpenney@vols.utk.edu

Overhead view of equipment and students at TN MADE.

Benefits for External Partners

  • Co-locate adjacent to other industry partners in a high-bay space or occupy second-floor office space. Private spaces also available
  • Option for customized lease length
  • Industry-relevant, state-of-the-art equipment and capabilities for users
  • Access to UT faculty and top students from undergraduate through doctoral levels to tackle your real-world challenges

Strategic Location

The facility is ideally located in the heart of Knoxville’s burgeoning technology innovation district and five minutes from the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Additionally, dozens of companies in the aerospace, energy, defense, and manufacturing sectors have a nearby presence.

Address:

2030 Valley Vista Road, Knoxville

Workforce Development

In partnerships with Tennessee community colleges and colleges of applied technologies, UT supports the preparation of a world-class workforce for the industries of the future in Tennessee and the United States.

America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) is a proven, operationalized workforce development curriculum created at UT that benefits industry partners looking to develop and hire student talent in machining. ACE is supported by the Department of Defense and is managed by IACMI—The Composites Institute and has been adopted by universities and community college networks in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

Capabilities & Infrastructure

Research and development takes place in a large high-bay, sub-divided into spaces as well as other separate lab spaces. Machine Tools Research Center faculty and students will collaborate with organizations who acquire space. 

Flexible office workspaces and conference rooms are provided for researchers and support staff as well as capabilities for hosting workshops and conferences.

In-House Programs

A graduate student operates equipment at TN MADE.