New company joins as member of advanced manufacturing research center in Virginia

The Associated Press
October 11, 2012 - 3:02 am EDT


PRINCE GEORGE, Va. — An advanced manufacturing research center in Prince George County is getting a new partner.

Officials say TurboCombustor Technology Inc. has joined the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing as an industry member.

The Florida company manufactures components for aircraft engines and gas turbines, as well as surface coatings meant to survive extreme temperatures generated by engines. It will contribute equipment used to develop, process and test coatings, and perform advanced surface engineering tasks.

The 60,000-square-foot facility completed last month will do research for a group of manufacturing companies under a partnership with Virginia Tech, Virginia State University and the University of Virginia. Research already is under way at member-university labs.

The consortium that will support the center's research includes Rolls-Royce, Newport News Shipbuilding and Siemens.