A collaboration between The Timken Company and Stark State College led to development of the new Technology and Test Center, which is the first testing facility of its kind to be constructed in the Americas. The $14 million center on Stark State College’s North Canton, Ohio, campus tests ultra-large bearing systems (up to 13 feet in outside diameter) on sophisticated equipment capable of simulating harsh operating conditions similar to those found in large multi-megawatt wind turbines. The new test facility is expected to shorten development cycles and improve the reliability and cost-effectiveness of these large rotating systems.

Testing capabilities within the 18,000-square-foot facility have the flexibility to focus on wind-turbine applications as well as other large, rotating equipment for industries including offshore oil rigs, mine trucks, electric shovels (in mining), steel rolling mills and more. The test center also houses a classroom/lab for training Stark State students in electrical and mechanical engineering as well as alternative-energy programs. The college offers associate degrees, one-year and short-term certificates in those programs.