Academic insight
head to head
atlas for
the future
Waruna Seneviratne, director of the
Advanced Technologies Lab for
Aerospace Systems at the National
Institute for Aviation Research at
Wichita State University reveals the
machines and goals behind the USA’s
most-advanced aerospace research
facility for applied learning
The Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems
(ATLAS) facility exists because we are facing a dramatic
challenge in the aerospace industry. Over the next 20
years it is forecasted we will need to produce 40,000 more
aircraft to meet global demand, a figure which includes the
gradual retirement of the current fleet of 26,000.
Even if we double the size of factories and use the latest
and most advanced manufacturing methods, we will still
need to be able to find enough qualified people to make all of
these aircraft.
The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at
Wichita State University has a US$96 million annual budget, a
staff of 600 and nearly one million square feet of laboratory
and office space in four locations across the city of Wichita.
ATLAS is a US$30 million part of that and is pioneering
automated technologies in advanced manufacturing and
inspection/testing. It is also providing a pipeline of industryready
engineers with the correct skills and expertise to
operate, program and maintain these machines in the factory
of the future.
Launched at the beginning of 2019, ATLAS is a makerspace
for automated fiber placement (AFP) and thermoplastics. It
truly is an extension of the research and development
capabilities of the aerospace industry in the USA. If a supplier
wants to test a new material or an entrepreneur wants to
develop a prototype aircraft, they can do that on industryscale
equipment at ATLAS and more confidently make
investment decisions.
The machinery and equipment at ATLAS is accessible to all
on a neutral territory – the facility is designed so different
companies can be working in various sectors at the same time.
We are partnering with equipment manufacturers like
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ElectroImpact and Coriolis which provide equipment for major
aircraft manufacturers. Our AFP machines can manufacture a
single-aisle aircraft fuselage section with advanced materials.
Our 4x8m autoclave is the largest in any university in the world
and capable of heating materials up to 425°C, with in-situ
process monitoring and wireless temperature sensors.
The research we are conducting on in-process inspection
coupled with machine-learning algorithm and artificial
intelligence means that the machines
in the future will produce higher quality
parts faster. The manufacturing
processes we are developing will allow
production lines to become flexible
enough to produce different types of
urban air taxis and unmanned drones
and customize them on-demand.
ATLAS staff is working closely with
industry partners to develop ways to
increase efficiency, productivity and
quality. I’m extremely proud of the
diverse network of industrial partners
we’ve assembled. In addition to
exposing manufacturers to effective
new technologies, we are developing
training programs to enable companies to rapidly scale these
new advanced manufacturing operations across multiple
production lines.
As a university entity, we are also committed to creating a
pipeline of highly skilled engineers trained in the hardware,
software and processes needed in future factories. There is a
real need for ATLAS in the USA and I am sure it will prove its
value in the coming years. \\
“I’m extremely
proud of the
diverse network
of industrial
partners we’ve
assembled”
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