What Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) does

Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) is an industry-university research consortium housed at UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering with a secondary research site at Ohio State University's Lightweight Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratory. Founded in 1988 and led by Director Diran Apelian (National Academy of Engineering) alongside OSU Director Alan Luo (NAE, National Academy of Inventors), ACRC focuses on metal casting, solidification processing, aluminum and light-metals alloy development, semi-solid processing, and additive manufacturing. Its technology stack spans multifrequency ultrasonic treatment of molten aluminum (achieving up to 85% grain-size reduction and 20 kg batch processing), diffusion solidification for direct casting of wrought alloys without hot tearing, HPDC aluminum alloy development for EV powertrains, cold spray and wire arc additive manufacturing, powder atomization, and ML-based predictive modeling of HPDC mechanical properties.

ACRC operates a subscription-based consortium model with ~40 industry members paying $25,000/year in annual dues (pro-rated for mid-year joins). Members select and steer pre-competitive research projects through voting committees, attend semi-annual in-person meetings alternating between UCI and OSU, and receive royalty-free IP rights to consortium-generated research. Revenue is supplemented by federal grants (NSF, DOE, DOD) flowing through UC Irvine, including an $18M NSF materials science center award and a $2.5M Engineering+ Sustainability Institute seed grant from the Samueli gift. Customer segments span automotive OEMs (Ford, GM, Honda, Tesla/SpaceX, Mercury Marine, Stellantis), aerospace (Pratt & Whitney), national labs (Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, PNNL, Sandia), tier-1 casters and suppliers (NEMAK, Magna, Almex, Alcoa), and software/equipment vendors (CompuTherm, Thermo-Calc, SPEE3D, Buehler). Distribution is direct via the consortium, with a members-only digital platform for project results and publications, plus a student internship pipeline for talent development.

Name

Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC)

Legal name

Advanced Casting Research Center

Website

https://acrc.manufacturing.uci.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) is a UC Irvine-affiliated industry-university consortium (~40 members) that conducts collaborative pre-competitive research in metal casting, solidification, aluminum alloy development, and additive manufacturing, funded primarily through $25,000/year membership dues and federal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Casting Research & Development

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH), Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

Keywords

• Metal casting research
• Industry-university consortium
• Aluminum alloy development
• Additive manufacturing research
• Foundry R&D services

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide access to collaborative pre-competitive research, faculty expertise, student internships, advanced experimental facilities at UCI and OSU, royalty-free IP rights to consortium research, and participation in project steering committees and semi-annual meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACRC operates an industry-university consortium where member companies pay annual dues of $25,000/year to collaboratively fund and steer pre-competitive research in metal casting, solidification, and digital manufacturing. Members gain access to faculty expertise at UC Irvine and Ohio State University, graduate student talent, advanced experimental facilities, and royalty-free intellectual property rights to consortium research outputs, with project selection via steering committees and semi-annual in-person meetings.

Product overview

ACRC is an industry-university research consortium (~40 members) dedicated to collaborative research in metal processing and manufacturing. The organization operates as a platform combining applied research consortium membership with specialized research capabilities and educational programs. Core offerings include consortium membership for industry partners to select and fund collaborative research projects with royalty-free IP rights, supplemented by specialized research capabilities (Ultrasonic Treatment, Diffusion Solidification, Powder/Additive Manufacturing, Alloy Development, WAAM, Cold Spray), and educational programs (internships, MMT graduate concentration, Industry 4.2 workshops). The consortium maintains facilities at UC Irvine and Ohio State University for metal casting, heat treatment, powder processing, and materials characterization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied Research Consortium Membership Industry-university consortium membership providing collaborative research in metal processing and manufacturing. Members select research projects, gain pre-competitive access to R&D results, and receive royalty-free IP rights to consortium outputs. Priced at $25,000/year with pro-rating for mid-year joiners.
• Student Internship Program Educational program providing students hands-on application experience in the materials science industry and connecting talent with ACRC member companies for future employment. Functions as a workforce pipeline for member organizations.
• Materials and Manufacturing Technology (MMT) Graduate Concentration Graduate concentration at UC Irvine leading to M.S. or Ph.D. degrees dedicated to advances in manufacturing innovation, including courses on Industry 4.2 and metal processing. Targeted at students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing.
• Industry 4.2 Education Program Educational framework addressing the future of work and the worker in manufacturing, covering nine technologies reshaping production through workshops, seminars, and courses. Offered at UC Irvine as part of the MMT concentration and standalone short courses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% reduction in grain size achieved through multifrequency ultrasonic treatment (UST)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Pratt & WhitneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPratt & Whitney established a Center of Excellence for Solidification Science at UC Irvine. Diran Apelian serves as inaugural Director. Core faculty team includes Andrew Zang, Carl Soderhjelm, Dan Mumm, Julián Rimoli, Kevin Garanger, and Lorenzo Valdevit. The Center has ties to OSU, North Carolina State, and North Carolina A&T.
• UC Irvine Samueli School of EngineeringflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome institution for ACRC headquarters. Partnered on $50 million Samueli gift for three Engineering+ institutes including Engineering+ Sustainability Institute ($2.5M seed funding), Engineering+ Health, and Engineering+ Society. Diran Apelian co-directs the Sustainability Institute.
• Ohio State UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSU Lightweight Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratory (Luo's Group) provides extensive metal casting facilities including die casting machines, induction furnaces, powder processing, and additive manufacturing equipment. Alan Luo serves as OSU Director.
• Engineering+ Sustainability InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew institute at UCI focusing on sustainable processing of critical materials, reinventing materials supply chain with commitment to sustainability and decarbonization. Led by co-directors Iryna Zenyuk and Diran Apelian. Seed funding $2.5M for five years.
• Florida International University - Cold Spray and Rapid Deposition Lab (ColRAD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to advance research integrating additive manufacturing into aluminum die casting industry. Focus on wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) for advanced tooling solutions.
• Buehler CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic relationship with Buehler (ITW company). ACRC is a Buehler Center of Excellence. Morgan Manning and Brandon Lin meet with UCI team for planning. Michael Keeble provides tutorials for researchers on metallography equipment.
• ESI Group (Keysight Technologies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESI Group joined ACRC; now part of Keysight Technologies. Brings advanced predictive modeling and virtual prototyping into Keysight's design and test ecosystem for automotive, aerospace, defense industries.
• Almex USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading supplier of billet and slab casting equipment for aluminum industry. Collaboration on processing of wrought alloys in addition to cast alloys. President & CEO Ravi Tilak.
• Los Alamos National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member. Applied science and technology for national security, energy, and environmental security. Collaboration on manufacturing science.
• Lawrence Livermore National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member. Over 70 years applying science and technology. Expertise in nuclear deterrence, counterterrorism, defense, and energy security.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EWI: EWI is an industry-university consortium model similar to ACRC—manufacturing R&D member-driven organization serving OEMs and suppliers with collaborative research, prototyping, and workforce training across welding, joining, and additive manufacturing.
• QuesTek Innovations: QuesTek is an ICME/alloy-by-design company whose CEO (Jason Sebastian) chairs the ACRC Board of Directors, with overlapping focus areas in computational materials engineering, alloy design for castings and lightweighting, and serving the same aerospace/defense customer set.
• National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS): NCMS is a cross-industry R&D consortium (defense, automotive, aerospace) running collaborative manufacturing and materials projects funded by member dues and DoD cost-shares—a near-parallel operating model to ACRC.
• Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC): CTC is a nonprofit applied R&D organization delivering manufacturing science and materials engineering to defense, energy, and industrial clients—analogous to ACRC in mission, federal funding base, and applied metallurgy capabilities.
• Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT): LIFT is a public-private manufacturing R&D consortium focused on lightweight metals and metal processing, operating with member dues and federal co-investment to drive pre-competitive research—a model and adjacent research focus closely mirrors ACRC.

Regional players

• Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences: IMR is a leading state-backed metal research institute covering casting, solidification, and alloy development, providing similar scientific scope to ACRC but anchored in China rather than North America.

Broad incumbents

• The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS): TMS is the global professional society for materials scientists and engineers covering the same metallurgy, casting, and lightweighting domains served by ACRC's publications, conferences (e.g., MCWASP participation), and technical programming.
• American Foundry Society (AFS): AFS is the industry trade association for metalcasting that co-funds research, standards, and education with consortia like ACRC; it overlaps on member companies, industry publications, and workforce development but its role is broader industry stewardship rather than direct R&D delivery.
• Alcoa Technical Center: Alcoa's in-house R&D center conducts commercial aluminum casting, alloy, and process research that competes with the pre-competitive work ACRC does for its members in automotive and aerospace lightweighting.

Emerging players

• Purdue Manufacturing Research and Innovation Center (MRIC): Academic manufacturing research hubs such as Purdue's MRIC pursue similar metallurgy and digital manufacturing research with industry sponsorship, representing an alternative partnership option for OEM members considering ACRC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACRCmetals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advancedcastingresearchcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC)