Edison Welding Institute (EWI) is a United States nonprofit, Ohio state-chartered, engineering and technology organization dedicated to welding and materials joining. EWI staff provide materials joining assistance, contract research, consulting services and training to member companies in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, government, heavy manufacturing, medical and electronics industries. Approximately 150 employees staff the Institute. EWI holds numerous patents for various materials joining technologies.[1]
The organization was founded in 1984 in a research park adjacent to Ohio State University ,[2] when then Ohio Governor Richard Celeste established the Thomas Edison Program, an initiative for the development of several Thomas Edison Technology Excellence Centers within the state, including a center for Welding Research and Development. It is considered the leading institution in North America for advancing the science of joining materials.[3] The EWI has collaborated with the Ohio Supercomputer Center under its "Blue Collar Computing Initiative" to develop supercomputer simulations of welding[4] [5] .[6]
EWI has offices and laboratories in Columbus, Ohio and Houston, Texas.
The organization's sales in 2005 were $30 million.[7] The organization receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public.[8] In 1997, EWI spent $8.8 million on research and development.[9]