Rice University cooperates with Carbon and TyRex Group

Rice University’s Office of Innovation is partnering with Redwood City, California-based Carbon and Austin, Texas-based manufacturer TyRex Group to make additive manufacturing equipment and expertise an integral part of the initiative, which will provide campus-wide access to prototyping and design facilities and services.

“Collaboration is the fastest way to get technology out of the lab and into the real world,” said Paul Cherukuri, a physicist, chemist and tech entrepreneur Rice tapped last fall to serve as its first vice president of innovation.

Cherukuri’s office works on Rice Nexus, an innovation space in the Ion that allows faculty members and students to turn “proof-of-principle” ideas into attractive prototypes for industry and investors. He draws in part on his own research experience and relies on close collaboration with industry experts in 3D printing.

The Rice Smart Helmet project combines protective gear with a wearable technology platform. Funding from the Navy has enabled Cherukuri to acquire two industrial-grade 3D printers from Carbon. The combination of Carbon printers and TyRex expertise allowed the Smart Helmet team to seamlessly transition from idea to production.

Cherukuri said the combination of Carbon printers and TyRex expertise allowed the smart helmet team to seamlessly transition from idea to production, and he wants to replicate that experience for other labs at Rice. “When I design on the L1, I can hit print and print 1,000 of them, and that’s a capability we didn’t have before,” Cherukuri said.

Of TyRex, he said, “The fastest way to make a design production-ready is to work with someone experienced who understands the real-world challenges of product development, and that is what they bring.”

Rice Nexus is scheduled to open this summer. Cherukuri says the facility’s capabilities, funding and resources will depend on the Office of Innovation’s findings from faculty interviews.

Find out more about TyRex Group at tyrexmfg.com.

For more information about the Rice University and Carbon, please visit rice.edu and carbon3d.com.