{"id":12486,"date":"2025-06-17T09:21:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12486"},"modified":"2025-06-17T09:21:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:21:58","slug":"advancing-ai-647000-wisconsin-economic-development-corp-grant-will-boost-uw-stout-cam-ai-effort","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/advancing-ai-647000-wisconsin-economic-development-corp-grant-will-boost-uw-stout-cam-ai-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Advancing AI: $647,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. grant will boost UW-Stout CAM-AI effort"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
UW-Stout’s Industrial Robotics & Machine Vision Lab, part of the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering, is one of the campus labs that will benefit from the WEDC investment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University\u2019s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence to provide support for small, medium manufacturers<\/h2>\n

A $647,000 grant from the\u00a0Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)\u00a0<\/a>will allow University of Wisconsin-Stout\u2019s\u00a0Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 CAM-AI \u2013 to provide advanced manufacturing and AI support to small- and medium-sized manufacturers.<\/p>\n

The newly announced grant is the result of ongoing conversations and the preexisting relationship between the WEDC, the State of Wisconsin\u2019s lead economic development agency, and UW-Stout, Wisconsin\u2019s\u00a0Polytechnic University<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe WEDC financial commitment will allow UW-Stout to fully build out the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and AI,\u201d UW-Stout\u00a0Chancellor Katherine Frank<\/strong>\u00a0said. \u201cThis investment will enable UW-Stout to expand its delivery of cutting-edge, industry-focused support and services to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWisconsin has long been a manufacturing powerhouse, especially in the field of precision manufacturing,\u201d said\u00a0Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC<\/strong>. \u201cFor our state\u2019s small- and medium-sized manufacturers to remain competitive in the global marketplace, it\u2019s absolutely critical for them to be able to harness the power of AI in their daily operations. CAM-AI is in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea \u2013 helping businesses and residents access the knowledge and resources of the Universities of Wisconsin to keep our state moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seth Hudson, UW-Stout\u2019s executive director for\u00a0<\/strong>Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement<\/strong><\/a>, said the funding will allow the university to invest in state-of-the-art equipment to expand and enhance the services of CAM-AI. \u201cThis investment will allow us to further contribute to the growth of our industry partners through advanced manufacturing techniques and AI-driven solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

David Ding, director of the\u00a0<\/strong>Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and an associate dean in the\u00a0College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management<\/a>, said\u00a0the grant will allow UW-Stout to fully build out an Automated Demonstration line, enabling the university to showcase to its industry partners the applications of automation, robotics, vision inspection and AI-aided manufacturing. \u201cThe demonstration system will showcase the new technologies that CAM-AI can help manufacturers implement in their own processes,\u201d Ding said.<\/p>\n

CAM-AI\u00a0was created in 2024<\/a>\u00a0to leverage the broad array of university expertise for solving technical issues and conducting research to support private industry. The center works in partnership with the\u00a0UW-Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center<\/a>, one of two centers in Wisconsin affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology\/Manufacturing Extension Partnership national network. The Manufacturing Outreach Center, which also receives support from the WEDC, delivers comprehensive, proven solutions through consulting, training and workforce development.<\/p>\n

Once fully operational, the WEDC investment will allow CAM-AI to serve approximately 20 companies and 100-plus students each year.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
A UW-Stout manufacturing engineering student works on a program to control a machine in the university’s robotics lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The goals of UW-Stout\u2019s CAM-AI include:<\/p>\n