News

America Makes Declares Members Meeting & Exchange (MMX) a Resounding Success

November 20, 2017 | Categories: America Makes News

Members & Non-members Turn Out in Unprecedented Numbers; Members Use Event Platform to Make Special Announcements

Youngstown, Ohio — November 20, 2017. America Makes proudly announces that its annual Members Meeting and Exchange (MMX) event, held on November 15-16, 2017 in Youngstown a resounding success.

“This year’s MMX event was definitely one for the books,” said Rob Gorham, America Makes Executive Director. “We had extraordinary turn out from both members and non-members. From the unprecedented number of attendees, nearly 300 in all, I would absolutely characterize the MMX event a resounding success. The MMX agenda was jam-packed, tailored for both America Makes and non-members with engaging presentations on the latest America Makes initiatives, as well as topics impacting the AM industry at large, including the announcement of an upcoming Project Call, status reports on research projects underway, and numerous special announcements from our members. An incredible amount of information sharing and networking occurred. I could not be more pleased with our 2017 MMX event.”

Tiffany Westbay, America Makes Membership Director, added “The numbers in which members and non-members alike turned out at MMX is a true testament to our mission. It underscores the level of collaboration that occurs within the America Makes community and the additive manufacturing industry. Together, we are a driving force of innovation.”

This year’s America Makes MMX event was focused on the progress of developing and growing a comprehensive and globally competitive American 3D printing (3DP) and additive manufacturing (AM) infrastructure comprised of world-class domestic sources of equipment and support; a robust domestic supply chain of high-quality materials and services; and a highly skilled workforce capable of executing and exploiting the capabilities and advantages of 3DP and AM.

Highlights from the MMX event included:

• Jason Rodriguez, Vice President & Head of Global Education and Market Development, at HP Inc., giving the keynote address on how today’s organizations understand the new reality and subsequent, invaluable benefits of public-private partnerships in driving economic value.
• John Wilczynski, America Makes Technology Director, and Joe Veranese, America Makes Business Systems Manager, presenting America Makes Insight, a newly developed reporting feature available through the America Makes Digital Storefront.
• Jim Williams of All Points Additive, and Jim McCabe of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) discussing the importance of and latest on the Additive Manufacturing Standards Collaborative (AMSC) and the need for convening standardization bodies within the AM industry.
• Rob Gorham, America Makes Executive Director, and Ralph Resnick, America Makes Founding Director and NCDMM President and Executive Director, presenting the America Makes Distinguished Collaborator Award to Jim Williams of All Points Additive and Jim McCabe of ANSI for their leadership on the development of the AMSC. A new initiative, the America Makes Ambassador Program, was also announced to recognize those individuals who continually demonstrate outstanding dedication to the America Makes mission. The inaugural class of eight inductees included Teresa Clement, Ph.D., Raytheon; Anthony Hughes, The Lanterman Group; Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates; Marilyn Gaska, Ph.D., Lockheed Martin; Mike Garvey, M-7 Technologies; Lisa Camp, Case Western Reserve University; Mark Cotteleer, Ph.D., Deloitte Services LP; and Ashley Martof, Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI).
• Vicki Thompson, America Makes Workforce & Education Lead, addressing the initiatives underway to engage and establish an AM workforce of the future. She was joined by Anthony Hughes, Founder & President of The Lanterman Group, who presented the latest on ACADEMI, a comprehensive set of immersive training experiences with advanced Additive Manufacturing curriculum, delivered in an intense, hands-on environment, integrating skills from multiple disciplines employed in Design-for-Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) processes.
• Dhruv Bhate of Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies, Inc. (PADT) and Howard Kuhn, Ph.D. of the University of Pittsburgh, providing an update on Project 4060, which aims to equip design engineers with a methodology to implement cellular structures for a wide range of critical applications, called The Living Textbook.
• America Makes partners from the Deparment of Defense, Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation convening a panel describing AM as a transformative technology.
• Project leads from UDRI and Youngstown State University (YSU); EWI; GE Global Research Center; the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); the University of Notre Dame; the University of Dayton Research Institute; and the Boeing Company presenting technical updates on the status of eight of America Makes projects currently underway

Additionally, America Makes members also used the MMX event as a platform to make several special announcements, including:

• Mark Cotteleer, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Center for Integrated Research, Deloitte Services LP, announcing a new initiative in conjunction with the U.S. Marines and Launch Forth to spur rapid innovation in the development and timely delivery of the next-generation of military equipment for the Marine. To accomplish this goal, crowdsourcing will be used to develop concepts and eventually detailed designs for new gear. This design data will be managed in a digital design/production/PLM information system called a Digital Thread and the physical prototypes will be manufactured in a forward-deployable microfactory, leveraging digital manufacturing technologies like 3D printing. For more information, visit launchforth.io/usmc.
• Barb Ewing, Chief Executive Officer, YBI and Mike Hripko, Associate Vice President for Research, YSU with Glenn Richardson, Managing Director, JobsOhio, announcing that XJet Ltd. has selected YBI and its partner, YSU, as its first U.S. customers of the company’s XJet Carmel 1400 AM system. The acquisition of the XJet was made possible through the support of JobsOhio, a private, nonprofit economic development corporation. The XJet Carmel 1400 AM system features a ground-breaking technology called NanoParticle Jetting™ that uses nanoparticles in liquid suspension to build 3D metal parts. The XJet printer will be installed in YBI’s new Additive Manufacturing Building 5 in January 2018.
• Lauralynn McDaniel, Industry Manager, Medical Device Manufacturing, SME, in simultaneous announcements at MMX and the formnext expo in Germany, revealing the availability of new, free SME white paper on the SME.org site, titled “Bioengineers Needed: Expansive Growth in Medical 3D Printing Industry Creates Demand for Experts,” detailing the remarkable opportunity for AM/3DP to benefit public health and drive business results. However, the lack of skilled professionals needed to imagine, design, and produce these complex models, devices, and even tissues is impeding this potential. There is a recognized urgency around recruiting and training skilled professionals who can handle what is, in theory, a new occupation—one that bridges engineering and biology. New tools and information are now available to support this effort.
• Brett Conner, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Initiatives and Associate Professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, YSU, announcing the launch of the America Makes Hybrid Manufacturing Working Group, created to accelerate the adoption of Hybrid Manufacturing of Metal functional products with a focus on integrating AM with other more traditional production processes including subtractive machining and grinding, heat treatments, metrology, and more.
• Joel D. Neidig, Director of Research & Development, ITAMCO, unveiling Atlas3D, a new, 3DP software start-up company focusing on metal 3DP, whose creation came directly from an America Makes funded project. The Atlas3D software automatically generates parametric designs of functional support structures for metal alloy feedstocks for 3DP. Specifically, the plugin orientates a model based on heat transfer and expert knowledge using algorithms for the best cost-effective build. It is also the only Metal Additive Platform that is completely mobile, enabling users to analyze and share files from any device. For more information, visit atlas3d.xyz

Driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Each year, America Makes hosts its MMX event to bring its member community together in Youngstown to impart the latest information on the Institute; report on and review technical content as it relates to AM research projects; and provide a venue for members to network and collaborate.

Visit http://americamakes.us for more information about America Makes, the MMX event, or on how to become a member. Follow the Institute on Twitter @AmericaMakes.

###

About America Makes

America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA infrastructure and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit http://americamakes.us.

About NCDMM

NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in manufacturing areas—both commercial and defense—to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, the players, the technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at http://ncdmm.org/

Media Contact:
Scott Deutsch
(724) 539-4760

Tweet It!

• @AmericaMakes #AMmembers & non-members #MMXevent participation strong!
• @AmericaMakes #MMXevent agenda featured engaging presentations and project updates by industry experts. Upcoming Project Call also announced.
• #AMmembers use event platform to make special announcements with major industry impact.