The Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center (CTC) is dedicated
to the development of new energy efficient products and processes for the corporation.The
42,700-square-foot research and development lab, located adjacent to A. O.
Smith’s world headquarters in Milwaukee, will serve as the company’s global
innovation hub, where teams of engineers will concept, test and finalize core
technologies to be used in A. O. Smith products around the globe.
History
The new Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center opened in October of 2018.
A. O. Smith has supported a dedicated engineering group focused on product and process technology since the 1920's. The Corporate Technology function was officially designated in 1975; the original Milwaukee Corporate Technology Center opened in 1983.
Innovation has a name...
Take a sneak peek inside the new Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center labs.
 Air Purification Lab
In the Air Purification Lab, indoor air quality filtration media and sensor technologies are developed to be incorporated into indoor air purification systems. These systems are designed to remove gaseous and particulate contaminants.
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 Analytical Lab
In the Analytical Lab, water quality parameters such as pH, hardness and turbidity are measured. Measurements can also be taken for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and disinfectants. This lab is also used to analyze materials that come in contact with drinking water, to check for material safety and to bench test new technologies.
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 Coatings Lab
In the Coatings Lab, tests are conducted to validate new and existing organic and inorganic coating performance. Organic coatings cover powder and liquids in various polymeric areas, while inorganic coatings cover metallic coatings, glass enamels and various metallic plating.
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 Electronics, Sensors and Materials Lab
In the Electronics, Sensors and Materials Lab, the focus is on the engineering, assembly and testing of new electronic controls and data acquisition systems, which will be used by our manufacturing plants and product engineering teams in future products. This team also develops and tests sensors that improve control or provide indication of performance of A. O. Smith products. In addition, researchers analyze and develop metals and polymers used in our products and our manufacturing processes.
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 Microbiological Lab
In the Microbiological Lab, microbial contaminants are cultured and measured to test the efficacy of water treatment equipment. The lab is also used to test various disinfection and microbial removal technologies.
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 Prototype Lab
In the Prototype Lab, the focus is on fabrication, including machining, welding, sheet metal shaping, CNC technology, 3-D printing and solid works modeling. The prototype team can work with a whiteboard sketch or 3-D models. With necessary resources in hand, this team can build anything.
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 Water Lab
The Water Lab is used to test and analyze current and future water heating and water treatment products. The lab is designed specifically for the development and testing of prototype water heating technologies and components, including heat pumps, burners and heat exchangers. Technicians can test water treatment technologies and products for performance, as well as life and failure modes across a variety of water qualities and conditions.
The Water Lab houses the Department of Energy (DOE) test lab where current and new residential water heating technologies are tested to meet specific federal efficiency standards. The lab also houses the NSF lab for testing water treatment equipment to industry performance standards.
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 Utility Room
The Utility Room contains an A. O. Smith-designed-and-built deionized water makeup system that is used throughout the labs. The system incorporates A. O. Smith softening, filtering and reverse osmosis technology.
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