Aerospace fastener manufacturer Click Bond has teamed with the Southern Methodist University Lyle School of Engineering’s Center for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing (CDHAM) as a full member.

The partnership joins Click Bond with associate member Lockheed Martin to explore how digital twins, AI, virtual reality, and other new technologies will shape the future of manufacturing.

As a new CDHAM member, Click Bond is collaborating with SMU Lyle to refine the installation of its fasteners on aircraft structures by harnessing the clarity, speed, and extreme precision made possible through its digital solutions and the use of mixed reality.

A research initiative launched in 2024, CDHAM explores the intersection of digital manufacturing and human augmentation to drive industry progress. Harnessing the power of robotics, artificial intelligence, and extended reality (XR), CDHAM’s mission is to improve manufacturing by developing digital solutions to current challenges.

The $50,000 full membership provides Click Bond an opportunity to pioneer research in the realms of digital modeling, simulations, augmented reality, robotics, automation, and AI on a more proprietary level, fostering a deeper collaboration that yields impactful outcomes.

As a current supplier to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 and other advanced programs, Click Bond will explore how this technology can streamline manufacturing, advance operations, propel workforce development, and enhance efficiency.

As a manufacturer of adhesive-bonded fasteners for use in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications, Click Bond unlocks design flexibility and eliminates the cost and risk of drilling of structural holes.

“It’s an engineering marvel,” shares Chris Colaw, SMU Lyle alum and Co-Executive Director of CDHAM. “Every company in the world that builds airplanes uses Click Bond hardware.”

Click Bond CEO Karl Hutter celebrated the chance to “contribute to the technical achievement, economic competitiveness, and construction and maintenance of some of the world’s most sophisticated programs, allowing us, alongside our longtime partner Lockheed Martin, to help shape the trajectory of advanced manufacturing.”