CANFIELD, Ohio – America Makes, the Youngstown-based institute that served as the pilot program for what is today Manufacturing USA, kicked off its annual Members Meeting and Exchange event by outlining goals to expand its purview and increase opportunities.
“Historically, our primary focus has been on additive manufacturing,” said John Wilczynski, executive director of America Makes. “Our scope is being broadened to include adaptive manufacturing.”
The event Tuesday kicks off three days of speakers, workshops, panel discussions, site tours and networking opportunities related to America Makes’ stakeholders and interests.
Established in 2010, America Makes became the first of eight national innovation advanced manufacturing institutes and was specifically designed to promote research, development and adoption of 3D printing technology. The idea now is to augment additive manufacturing with adaptive strategies, Wilczynski said.
“It’s not to remove additive manufacturing but rather to include adaptive manufacturing,” he told a packed gathering at Waypoint 4180.
Adaptive manufacturing is an advanced manufacturing strategy that leverages automation, data and intelligent systems that would enable a factory to adjust its processes in real time, Wilcynski added. For example, by integrating adaptive manufacturing into additive technology, companies can more efficiently adjust their production cycles to meet sudden changes in demand, supply chain disruptions or quality control issues, he said.
Over the next several months, America Makes intends to develop a five-year strategic plan for its members that addresses these and other goals, Wilczynski said. He used the moment to urge America Makes’ members to engage with the institute on developing ideas to carry the organization forward.
“This is where we’re going,” he said. “The intention is that when we’re here next year, we’re going to be talking about what our long-term plan is.”
Wilczynski said that over the past several years, America Makes has witnessed a significant increase in engagement within its membership. “We’ve seen a big shift over the last year to a year and a half where they’re really leaning in and telling us what they need,” he said.
While America Makes boasts large aerospace companies such as Boeing and Lockheed-Martin as its members, the majority of companies engaged with the organization are small businesses, he said. The institute helps connect these smaller companies with larger projects that may include the military, universities and defense contractors.
These research and development projects often result in viable products or prototypes with entities such as the U.S. Department of Defense, said Keith DeVries, director of the DoD’s Manufacturing Technology, or ManTech, program.
“As of 2024, 57% of our research and development projects at the DoD have yielded a product or a prototype demonstration,” he said. “It means that we’re transitioning things from ideas to a prototype to a use-case.” Twenty-nine percent of these ideas have transitioned into defense or commercial products, he added.
DeVries said the DoD relies on institutions such as America Makes to develop innovation and technology such as additive manufacturing applications. It’s also important that these products or components are manufactured domestically, reducing the dependence on foreign materials.
Moreover, America Makes’ Wylczynski said the state of Ohio has become more engaged in America Makes’ objectives, helping to fund efforts such as the Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense, a project in partnership with the Youngstown Business Incubator now underway downtown.
“The state has now seen how our priorities are aligned with state priorities in areas where they want to be leaders,” he said.
Pictured at top: John Wilczynski, executive director of America Makes.