Additive Manufacturing

NOV 2017

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING is the magazine devoted to industrial applications of 3D printing and digital layering technology. We cover the promise and the challenges of this technology for making functional tooling and end-use production parts.

Issue link: https://am.epubxp.com/i/894355

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 37 of 67

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT NOVEMBER 2017 Additive Manufacturing 36 It seems these days everybody is involved in manufacturing in- novation. In the past, most of the R&D; was done by those with deep pockets—the government, well-heeled universities and big corporations. They are still important sources of funding, but there is a new movement afoot to break the barriers and rewrite the path to innovation inspired by the entrepreneur- ial spirit of Silicon Valley. It's focused on physical technology rather than software and it's happening in incubators around the country where startups, industry, investment, academia, government and resources come together. It's happening in AMT's own backyard of Washington, D.C., fast becoming known as one of the most entrepreneurial cultures in the nation. AMT is an active participant in growing the local manufacturing innovation infrastructure. The associ- ation recently showed support for our local startup communi- ty as a signature sponsor of Launch100. Launch100 aims to transform ideas into reality in 100 days with 100 percent effort. The event is a competition in which 10 inventors/entrepreneurs present their latest inventions or projects to win cash prizes and attention from investors. I had the honor of representing AMT on the judging panel alongside executives from NASA, a disruptive technology company and a professor from George Washington University. Competing projects included a self-driving hay harvester that converts choppings into pellets; a self-fueling auto; a spe- cialized drone for in-bore industrial smokestack inspections; and an algae protein home development kit for the next- generation food substitute for human consumption. It was great to see the diversity of ideas as well as varied business cases and potential revenue streams. As a sponsor, we were honored to work with the event organizers: Nova Labs, a local nonprofit fostering the ide- al "Rediscover the Joy of Making Things!" Nova Labs was established by visionaries Callye Keen and Mike Hogarty, both experienced in the machine tool industry. Through donations and personal invest- ments, the lab has grown to offer vari- ous manufacturing capabilities such as: metal machining/forming, wood/plastics machining/forming, composite forming, PCB assembly, fabric cutting/shaping and welding/assembly. These capabilities are leveraged by members and those with ideas, but need a forum to discuss and materialize them. It feels good to be part of these types of out-of-the-box efforts to make manu- facturing accessible to everyone and give back to the local community. As business leaders, please consider getting involved. AMT is proud to support innovative technology development. Check out Launch100 ( launch100.io ) and Nova Labs ( nova-labs.org ). Creative Minds, Creative Times Drive the American Manufacturing Revolution By Marcel Beraud Director – Global Services AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Additive Manufacturing - NOV 2017