July 10, 2023

America Makes Announces Open Project Call Worth $6.4M in Funding

YOUNGSTOWN, OH — The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and America Makes have announced a new open project call funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD (R&E)), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) worth a total of $6.4M. The number of anticipated awards and maximum funding will vary depending on the topic area being addressed.

July 10, 2023

The ARM Institute catalyzes critically needed robotics solutions for manufacturing through collaboration with industry, government, and academia

U.S. manufacturing is overdue for a resurgence, one that must be powered by Industry 4.0 technologies like robotics. However, critically needed robotics technologies often fall prey to the innovation valley of death, unable to advance from the research stage to implementation. Manufacturers of all sizes, but particularly small and medium-sized firms, find themselves ill-prepared to navigate the risks of automation—from the necessary capital investments and time needed for implementation to finding the trained workforce necessary to operate, maintain, and repair robotics after implementation. These issues combined with a historic labor skills gap that could see2.4 million jobs left unfilled in the coming years, have stagnated U.S. manufacturing growth.

July 7, 2023

The right conversations – TACOM at LIFT Technologies

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — How do you modernize an industry? How do you take words on legislation and turn them into a lean and efficient supply chain that provides for the Army’s ever-present logistical needs? These are the questions that U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s leadership faces as modernization continues to top Army priorities. “Understanding how we get to where we want to be begins with experiences like this one,” said Dr. Valerie DeVries, TACOM’s deputy chief of staff for human capital. “It begins with fostering the right kind of ideas and conversations.”

July 6, 2023

Emerging Technology Horizons: Delivering New Capabilities To Warfighters at Speed, Scale

The rate of technology development is accelerating today, and the Defense Department is adapting to foster emerging technology. As stated in the recently released National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, accelerated technology advancement and innovation are key elements to achieving department priorities. The upcoming 2023 National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies Conference is an event where we can focus on and discuss what we’re doing and what we need to do to accelerate technology advancement and innovation.

July 5, 2023

AIM Photonics Announces New Opto-electronic Testing Services

Comprehensive toolset expands access to companies of all sizes to advanced testing capabilities for their prototype development

June 30, 2023

ARM Institute Launches Job Matching Capabilities on RoboticsCareer.org

RoboticsCareer.org supports the manufacturing workforce at each stage of their robotics career. The new job matching feature connects job seekers with thousands of robotics jobs in manufacturing.

June 30, 2023

Supporting the S&T Strategy: The Value of Collaboration

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Secretary of Defense ManTech Program and its DOD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes are spearheading a collaborative revolution in defense manufacturing. The OSD-led MIIs represent nine distinct advanced manufacturing technology domains, including additive manufacturing, integrated photonics, biomanufacturing, robotics, and others. These public-private partnerships are unique vehicles for the Department to work with industry on dual-use technology development projects. Over the last 10 years, DOD has created a portfolio of over 1,000 projects, representing over $1.6 billion in federal Investment, with $2.1 billion in industry cost share. Recently, DOD has focused the activities of the institutes on specific defense challenges, including warfighter needs in contested logistics and organic industrial base modernization. Through their ability to build bridges across Commercial defense boundaries and work at the system level, the MIIs are proving that their sum is greater than their parts when solving challenges in support of DOD enterprise needs.

June 28, 2023

AIM Photonics Demonstrates Advanced PIC Developments at DoD Manufacturing Technology Exhibition

Pentagon event showcases innovative technologies developed by MIIs to support U.S. national defense and boost domestic economy

June 28, 2023

AFFOA Partners with National Family and Consumer Sciences Education Leaders

The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Manufacturing Innovation Institute is partnering with the leadership of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs across the United States to ensure that the FCS textile curriculum is recognized as a valuable entry point to STEM-based careers in advanced functional fabrics.

June 27, 2023

A Fresh Perspective that's driving innovation in U.S. Manufacturing

Manufacturing USA is a national network of 16 manufacturing innovation institutes created to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing through large-scale public-private collaboration on technology, supply chain, and education and workforce development.

June 27, 2023

Securing Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing

We canvassed leaders from the innovation institutes in the Manufacturing USA network to see how their efforts are helping the U.S. secure global leadership for emerging technologies in the critical strategic industries of defense, health and medical security, energy, and semiconductors and microelectronics.

June 22, 2023

Lowering Risks to Span the 'Valley of Death:' DOD Showcases Advanced Manufacturing Innovation at Meet-and-Greet

WASHINGTON — On June 21, the Department of Defense showcased more than 80 technologies critical to national defense during a demonstration event at the Pentagon.

June 22, 2023

Pentagon Exhibit Highlights Efforts to Speed Innovation, Invention

WASHINGTON — Pentagon employees got a chance to view some of the projects that will speed up innovation and invention in the department at a DOD Manufacturing Technology Program exhibition yesterday.

June 13, 2023

BioMADE to Establish Bioindustrial Manufacturing Infrastructure in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN — Following bipartisan support from Governor Walz and the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota site will be the first start in a national network of bioindustrial manufacturing facilities

AIM Photonics June 6, 2023

Case Study: AIM Photonics and Spark Photonics team up to develop hands-on educational PIC chip

ALBANY, Ny. — DoD MII partnership creates a comprehensive educational and workforce development tool designed, developed, manufactured and distributed entirely in the U.S. to enhance hands-on learning for silicon photonics

June 6, 2023

NCDMM Celebrates 20 Years of Trust, Collaboration, Results

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — For the past two decades, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) has been on a mission to ensure the U.S. warfighter always has a superior advantage. As NCDMM recognizes its 20th anniversary this year, the organization is reflecting on its journey from past to present.

Manufacturing x Digital June 6, 2023

The New National Cybersecurity Strategy: What Manufacturers Need to Know

WASHINGTON — The White House has released a National Cybersecurity Strategy that fundamentally shifts the government’s approach to cybersafety. The strategy, announced by the Biden administration in March, promises big changes for all manufacturers, particularly those in critical infrastructure sectors such as the defense industrial base.

ARM Institute June 5, 2023

ARM Institute Hires Jason Gilligan as Chief Business Development Officer

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — ARM Institute Hires Jason Gilligan as Chief Business Development Officer. Gilligan will lead efforts to grow the Institute’s grant and funding opportunities.

June 1, 2023

NIST Releases Summary of RFI Responses for Semiconductor-Related Manufacturing USA Institutes

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a summary of public comments solicited to inform the design of, and requirements for, potential Manufacturing USA institute(s) that would strengthen the semiconductor and microelectronics innovation ecosystem in such areas as design, fabrication, advanced test, assembly, and packaging capabilities.

May 31, 2023

America Makes Awards Funding Opportunity to Colorado School of Mines

America Makes is proud to announce that the Colorado School of Mines (CSOM) has been awarded $250K in funding by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through a recent project call titled Methods for AM Cross-Platform Consistency (AM-CPC).

May 30, 2023

America Makes Announces IMPACT Project Call Worth $11.7M in Funding

The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and America Makes have announced a new directed project call funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD (R&E)), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) worth a total of $11.7M.

May 18, 2023

New BioMADE Bioreactor Innovation Projects Aim to Supercharge the Future of Large-Scale Biomanufacturing

BioMADE is excited to announce five new projects that focus on developing more efficient, lower-cost, flexible, and re-deployable bioreactors to advance the U.S. bioeconomy and biomanufacturing goals. Project teams led by members Capra Biosciences, Amyris, Geno, and two teams from Iowa State University propose technological innovations in bioreactor hardware, software, sensors, modeling, and automation to make bio-based products more efficiently at commercial scales. These projects were funded through a special BioMADE Project Call on advancing bioreactor design and development thanks to support from Schmidt Futures.

May 16, 2023

LIFT, Department of Defense Sign New $49 Million Agreement, To Continue Advanced Manufacturing Technology & Talent Development

DETROIT — New Cooperative Agreement maintains LIFT as a public-private partnership and manufacturing innovation institute for the next five years.

May 12, 2023

Make it Where You Need It - OSD Program Funds Technology to Enable Point-of-Need Manufacturing

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program (OSD ManTech) has announced the winners of the first-of-its-kind "Point of Need Challenge Pitch Event" for solutions to support forward-deployed forces in austere environments. Held March 8-9 at the ARM Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., the event showcased technologies generated by member companies of the Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs). DoD launched nine MIIs between 2012 and 2021, each focused on a particular critical technology, to help revitalize U.S. domestic manufacturing capability.