As the Central Texas Manufacturing sector continues to grow, Austin Community College District on Friday will celebrate the grand opening of the ACC IMPACT Lab, the college’s manufacturing incubator.
In August, the manufacturing industry made headlines when U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul toured ACC’s manufacturing spaces and shared details on the CHIPS Act. The legislation provides $200 million to support workforce development programs, like ACC’s, for the domestic semiconductor industry.
The IMPACT Lab is an advanced manufacturing business incubator and training lab located at ACC Highland (6101 Highland Campus Drive). The 5,000-square-foot facility is Austin’s first innovation center focused on physical product development and manufacturing. This facility also provides ACC manufacturing students with opportunities to get hands-on experience in the industry. Lab highlights include:
- Workbench space & tools for prototype assembly & testing
- Variety of 3D printers in plastic and polymer
- Laser cutting, etching, engraving systems, and more
The IMPACT lab is funded by a grant from the National Economic Development Administration’s Regional Innovation Strategies as well as local matching dollars from ATI, Autodesk, City of Austin, and Amazon Web Services.
