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NAMII Director Ed Morris a Keynote Speaker at the 2013 Rapid Conference and Exposition

June 06, 2013 | Categories: America Makes News, Industry News, Member News

Youngstown,Ohio— June 6, 2013. NAMII, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, awarded on August 2012, and driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), is proud to announce that Director Ed Morris will be a keynote speaker at the 2013 RAPID Conference and Exposition, produced by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), to be held on June 10 – 13, 2013, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

On Tuesday, June 11th, Mr. Morris will be one of three opening keynote speakers on “The Future of Additive Manufacturing and an Introduction to NAMII.” Also joining Mr. Morris as keynote speakers are Brett Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy, U.S. Department of Defense; and Michael F. Molnar, Chief Manufacturing Officer for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Upon conclusion of the keynote speeches, Rob Gorham, NAMII Deputy Director of Technology, will present on the “NAMII Overview Roadmap.”

“NAMII’s founding in the ‘TechBelt’ region factored prominently in SME’s decision to hold RAPID inPittsburghthis year,” said NAMII Director Ed Morris. “As this will be NAMII’s first RAPID exhibition, it is a tremendous honor and privilege to be invited to speak at RAPID 2013. I am thrilled not only to address the additive manufacturing and 3D printing community, but also for the opportunity to gain their invaluable input and perspective into the current and future needs of our industry and how NAMII, as a center of excellence, can leverage its member network and facilitate the needed innovations. From our non-traditional booth design to the events planned for our booth and the informal surveys our representatives will be conducting out on the conference floor and at our booth — everything was strategically designed and planned to foster as much direct interaction with RAPID attendees as we could.

“NAMII’s fundamental mission is to spawn the creation of new, innovative products and the correspondingU.S.jobs to support them based on the unique capabilities of additive manufacturing,” continued Mr. Morris. “Our goal is to help make additive manufacturing and 3DP techniques better, including impacting the way people design, use, and manage additive manufacturing. One of NAMII’s top priorities in support of that goal is to develop a technology investment plan, a National Additive Manufacturing Roadmap. Oftentimes when undertaking an investment plan or roadmapping initiative, organizations examine the past — a rearview mirror approach — to predict the future. NAMII is intentionally taking a forward-looking approach — a view through the windshield, if you will. Led by our Deputy Director Rob Gorham and in partnership with the MAYA Design and AoT teams, we will be implementing our RAPID Roadmap Input Collection Plan. We want to tap into the vast community available to us at RAPID and draw on the collective talents, skills, and knowledge to formulate a very timely, accurate, and forward-looking National Additive Manufacturing Roadmap. This roadmap will be instrumental in identifying areas of growth or needs throughout the industry and refining the project areas NAMII pursues and subsequently, awards.”

NAMII is encouraging all RAPID attendees to “join the conversation” with NAMII representatives — and they will be easy to spot, as they will be sporting 3D printed bow-ties for the event.

Throughout June 11th and 12th at NAMII’s exhibit (booth #902), attendees are invited to visit the booth and participate in a number of planned events and activities. The NAMII exhibit will function as an epicenter of dynamic interaction, a place for one to speak with a NAMII representative or to jot down one’s thoughts directly on the white boards that make up the walls of NAMII’s booth. Additionally, each of NAMII’s Deputy Directors will be conducting various activities and leading discussions at the NAMII booth, including presentations on the following:

  • NAMII Education and Workforce Development – Darrell Wallace, Ph.D.
  • NAMII Online Community – Dan Maas
  • NAMII Online Tools – Bill Macy
  • NAMII Technology – Rob Gorham

NAMII is also sponsoring informal “fireside chats” at its booth with several, well-known industry leaders, including:

  • Tom Pasterik, ExOne
  • Greg Morris, (RAPID Event Chair) Morris Technologies /GE Aviation
  • Andrew Christensen, Medical Modeling
  • David Leigh, Harvest Technologies
  • Mickey McManus, MAYA Design

Throughout the years, RAPID has been recognized internationally among industry experts and analysts for its unrivaled display of software, systems, materials and machinery. NAMII is excited to participate in this year’s event and interact, collaborate, and forge new partnerships within the industry.

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