Oxford Manufacturing Plant Receives State Grant

OXFORD, CT — PTA Plastics, an Oxford-based manufacturer, is one of six Connecticut companies slated to receive a $100,000 matching grant under the state's Additive Manufacturing Adoption Program, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday.

The funding is designed to help the companies facilitate the adoption of additive manufacturing in their operations.

"Connecticut is the Silicon Valley of advanced manufacturing, plain and simple," Lamont said in a statement. "These grants will help our brilliant manufacturers across the state continue to innovate, building bigger, faster, and more complex machines that drive our state, country, and world further into the 21st century."

In addition to PTA Plastics, the other grant recipients are:

• Accurate Lock and Hardware Co., LLC (Stamford)
• Beacon Industries, Inc. (Newington)
• Burke Aerospace (Farmington)
• Okay Industries, Inc. (New Britain)
• Westminster Tool, Inc. (Plainfield)

According to state officials, additive manufacturing is rapidly changing the way companies design and manufacture products. Components that could not be produced just a few years ago can now be made to high standards using a wide variety of plastics and metals. When implemented properly, additive manufacturing can significantly reduce material waste, lead time, the amount of inventory being held, and the quantity of distinct parts needed for an assembly.

"Additive manufacturing technologies have advanced tremendously and continue at an accelerated rate," said Ron Angelo, president and CEO of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. "Supporting the adoption of AM technology throughout the Connecticut supply chain is vital to sustaining the advanced technical capabilities Connecticut is known for. It is exciting to see the level of interest and commitment by Connecticut manufacturers to investing in leading-edge technology."

The state's additive manufacturing initiative is a competitive grant program developed by advanced tech center and the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund Advisory Board in 2020. Applications were accepted this year from April 1 through May 31; the program was open to "manufacturing companies and allied service providers that expressed a strong interest and a compelling need to enhance their operations with new additive technologies such as high-end, 3D metal printers to produce functional parts and tooling, as well as high-end plastic printers."

From the grant announcement:

AMAP is a component of the Additive Manufacturing Technology for the Connecticut Manufacturing Supply Chain Program developed by CCAT and approved by the Manufacturing Innovation Fund Advisory Board in February 2020 to drive the demonstration and adoption of additive manufacturing technologies to small and medium-sized manufacturers.

"Connecticut manufacturers are clearly striving to stay at the forefront of technology as evidenced by their eagerness to adopt new additive manufacturing techniques and equipment," Paul Striebel, AMAP’s program manager, said.

"CCAT and the Manufacturing Innovation Fund Advisory Board worked diligently to bring this program to life," Colin Cooper, Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, said. "It has been gratifying to see the innovative ways these Connecticut manufacturers are approaching incorporating this emerging technology into their businesses. This program is a great example of using state funds as catalyst capital to spur significant private sector investment in advanced technologies and create opportunities for economic growth for Connecticut."

The State of Connecticut established the Manufacturing Innovation Fund to support the growth, innovation, and progress of Connecticut’s advanced manufacturing sector. It provides financial support for a broad range of initiatives that ensure Connecticut’s manufacturers remain leaders in productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Legislation was approved earlier this year that provided $20 million in new funding for the Manufacturing Innovation Fund over the biennium.