America Makes

America Makes
Name	America Makes
Full name	National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute
Established	2012
Type	Non-profit public-private partnership
Headquarters	Youngstown, Ohio
Region served	United States
Focus	Additive manufacturing, 3D printing, materials, standards, workforce
Leader title	Executive Director

America Makes America Makes is the United States' national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing innovation. It serves as a consortium connecting industry leaders, government agencies, academic institutions, and research laboratories to advance additive manufacturing technologies, develop materials science solutions, and translate prototypes into production. By coordinating projects, funding, and standards, it aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing competitiveness and workforce development.

Overview

America Makes operates as a public-private partnership concentrating on accelerating commercialization of additive manufacturing across sectors such as aerospace, automotive industry, defense industry, and healthcare. The institute aligns stakeholders including Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and private firms like General Electric and Boeing to support technology readiness level advancement, standards adoption, and supply chain integration. Activities encompass project execution, testing, certification, and workforce training initiatives tied to national manufacturing strategies promoted by entities such as the Obama administration and Congressional Research Service analyses of advanced manufacturing.

History and Formation

America Makes was founded in 2012 amid a nationwide push for regional innovation hubs similar to initiatives encouraged by the White House and coordinated with the United States Department of Defense. The institute emerged following a competitive selection process involving consortia from regions including Youngstown, Ohio and supported by funding mechanisms from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Early collaborators included national laboratories like Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and universities such as Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University. The institute's formation reflected broader federal efforts exemplified by programs such as the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and influenced by reports from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Structure and Membership

Governance of America Makes includes a board and executive leadership drawn from member organizations spanning corporations, small businesses, academic institutions, and government laboratories. Major corporate members have included 3D Systems, Stratasys, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Rolls-Royce North America. Academic members feature institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University, University of Michigan, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Penn State University. National laboratories and research centers such as Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory participate in consortia-led projects. Membership categories often mirror those used by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consortia and other sector-focused institutes like Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute.

Research and Development Programs

America Makes sponsors R&D spanning metal printing, polymer extrusion, composite additive processes, and hybrid manufacturing linking to projects funded by Department of Energy and Defense Logistics Agency. Project themes include process qualification, materials development for superalloys and titanium alloys used by Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell Aerospace, non-destructive evaluation protocols used by General Dynamics, and software standards used by Autodesk and Siemens PLM Software. Programs emphasize standards coordination with ASTM International and interoperability efforts aligned with ISO technical committees. Collaborative efforts have produced roadmaps referenced by National Science Foundation grant solicitations and informed policy briefs circulated to members of United States Congress.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The institute leverages regional manufacturing clusters and specialized testbeds such as dedicated additive manufacturing facilities at Youngstown Business Incubator, university fabrication labs at Colorado School of Mines and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and industrial centers like GE Aviation research sites. It coordinates access to machine fleets including laser powder bed fusion, electron beam melting, directed energy deposition, and large-scale composite printers used by partners such as NASA and SpaceX subcontractors. Infrastructure support extends to workforce training centers modeled after National Skill Standards Board frameworks and apprenticeship programs in collaboration with United Steelworkers and regional economic development agencies like JobsOhio.

Partnerships and Collaborations

America Makes forms strategic partnerships with federal agencies including U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, NASA, and Department of Energy laboratories. Industry alliances involve multinational corporations, original equipment manufacturers, and startups supported by accelerators such as Techstars and Y Combinator alumni firms focused on additive technologies. Academic collaborations include multi-institution consortia with University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. International cooperation has engaged standards organizations such as International Organization for Standardization members and bilateral exchanges with national institutes like Fraunhofer Society and TWI Limited.

Impact and Recognition

America Makes has influenced adoption of additive manufacturing across supply chains, contributing to qualified parts used in aircraft carrier components, satellite subsystems, and medical device prototypes. Its work has been recognized in industry awards and referenced in reports by Brookings Institution, McKinsey & Company, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The institute's model has inspired analogous initiatives, including regional innovation hubs supported by Economic Development Administration grants and state initiatives coordinated with entities like Ohio Development Services Agency. Members have cited return-on-investment in accelerated product cycles for firms such as United Technologies Corporation and helped shape procurement policies at agencies like the Defense Innovation Unit.

Category:Additive manufacturing