Polymer scientists in Akron are getting a new sandbox — a place to prove their experiments can work at scale.
The high-tech playground will sit on the University of Akron’s campus where the Lincoln Building now stands. The nearly century-old structure will be demolished early next year to make way for a space that supports the new Polymer Industry Cluster, a regional effort built around Akron’s polymer expertise to support research, manufacturing and job growth.
The facility is designed to answer a simple question: Will this process work outside the lab and at scale?
Its purpose is to enable proof of concept, allowing polymer materials to be produced in the tens or hundreds of pounds, intentionally short of industrial-scale production.
“[It will] prove the performance of the material beyond, you know, the lab scale,” Hans Dorfi, the executive director and chief innovation officer of the industry cluster, told Signal Akron. “So what we typically call the pilot scale.”
This polymer proving ground will be located near the university’s primary polymer research facilities, the Olson Research Center and the National Polymer Innovation Center.
What will the new facility be capable of?
Dorfi said the new building will offer companies a broad base of capabilities while allowing them to bring specialized equipment for research or manufacturing.
Generally, the building will provide a base of technology across several multi-purpose bays, Dorfi added, for companies to conduct bio-based or chemical synthesis processes to create useful chemicals. If those companies need specialized equipment, they’ll be able to bring their own machinery into the facility.
Bio-based polymer processes, which consume feedstock to create useful chemical byproducts, are increasing in popularity. Chemical synthesis is a more traditional method for creating chemicals that are useful in polymers.
What are the details of demolition, and how much will it cost?
The Lincoln Building, which previously housed the university’s capital planning staff, will be demolished by late February after the university’s Board of Trustees earlier this month approved paying up to $1 million for the work.
Why tear down the building?
Dorfi said renovating the nearly 100-year-old structure wouldn’t allow for the technology and space the work requires.
Demolition costs will be covered by a federal grant, while a university spokesperson said UA will contribute a matching $1 million to the innovation hub.
As plans stand, Dorfi said, the university will transfer the land the Lincoln Building sits on to the polymer cluster, which will then create a legal entity to own and operate the facility. He added that the new building will be completed in 2027.