America Makes Spring TRX Explores Complexities of Accelerating AM Industrialization

By Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – From April 8-10, 2025, America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, partnered with SME to co-locate its Spring Technical Review and Exchange (TRX) with RAPID + TCT, North America’s largest additive manufacturing (AM) and industrial 3D printing event, in Detroit, MI. The strategic collaboration united members, partners, and government representatives across the AM industry to foster innovation and strengthen connections.

“I’m delighted that the America Makes TRX was hosted alongside our premier event. Not only did TRX bring key stakeholders to the event, but this strategic partnership showcased the ability of both organizations to collaborate and convene the AM landscape under one roof,” said Steve Prahalis, SME Chief Operating Officer.

Set against the scenic backdrop of Detroit’s Huntington Place Hotel, TRX@Detroit reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to solving challenges and leveraging opportunities in additive integration. Through presentations across 23 active projects, experts shared advancements in material science, process optimization, and AM data management, spotlighting data-driven strategies to improve material qualification and the integration of additive with traditional manufacturing.

Closing the gap in alloy development
A recurring challenge in the AM landscape is the availability of domestically sourced, high-performance alloys for critical applications, especially in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and aerospace sectors. Keynote speaker Calvin Mickler, Ph.D., from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), emphasized the importance of bridging the Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) gap while addressing supply chain bottlenecks in the production of refractory metal powders. Currently, the domestic industry struggles to establish a viable business model due to the limitations of existing alloys. Dr. Mickler elaborated on the efforts of AFRL in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Critical Alloy Powder Pilot (CAPP) initiative to address these issues. The partnership aims to explore alloy atomization to enhance supply chains, mitigate risks in alloy development, and ensure the integration of innovative materials for improved quality and performance.

Building upon that, keynote speaker Nick Huber (pictured speaking at right), Director of Metallurgy and Innovation at Scot Forge, introduced attendees to the Future Alloy Study & Testing Center (FAST), a public/private partnership between the Department of Defense (DoD) and Scot Forge. Huber stated that the mission of FAST is to support national defense innovation for next-gen metals and transform how quickly and efficiently the DoD can develop and qualify new alloys.

As noted previously, alloy development is often stalled by commercial lab backlogs and long lead times, with characterizations taking six months or more. The FAST Center is built to change that. With high-velocity testing, advanced robotics, and a defense-ready workforce, Huber said FAST can deliver multiple alloy characterizations in just weeks, accelerating feedback, improving material selection, and enhancing warfighter protection. Supporting efforts like the Rapid Applied Materials and Processing Lab (RAMP), the Center for Advanced Materials and Processing (CAMP), and Manufacturing Analysis Simulation Tools (MAST), FAST is more than a testing lab—it’s a strategic driver of DoD innovation. Initial operational availability was achieved on March 17, 2025, marking a major milestone in advancing materials development for national defense.

Industrial applications in casting and forging
AM’s ability to produce customized parts for legacy defense components efficiently drives the DoD’s efforts to enhance scalability, integration, and adoption, as evidenced by the range of ongoing casting and forging projects.

The Investment Casting Institute addressed knowledge gaps and barriers to qualification and shared updates from its “AM Ceramic Shell Technology for Investment Casting” project, which aims to reduce lead times for military parts. Paul Finelt (pictured at left), President at Concurrent Resources, emphasized aluminum as a promising material, though additional exploration is needed to address design modifications to facilitate metal integration. Insights from service bureaus involved in ceramic shell production have also contributed valuable feedback throughout these initial campaigns.

Similarly, Honeywell’s Greg Colvin presented updates on the IMPACT 1.0 project, “Transitioning Best Practices and Technology Improvements for 3D Printed Molds/Cores for Sand Castings,” and the IMPACT 2.0 project, “Transitioning Best Practices and Technology Improvements for Advanced Technology Printed Sand Equipment.” Colvin emphasized the need for enhanced U.S. manufacturing equipment and surface finish improvements while expressing a call for greater collaboration between AM developers and chief engineers to scale the use of 3D-sand molds.

Additional C&F-related projects:

Material and process qualifications in AM
TRX reflected the industry’s call for material and process qualification to enable AM growth and sustainability while upholding industry performance standards. With AM Operational Qualification (OQ) still cost-prohibitive and time-consuming, projects like “Improving LPBF Operational Qualification Through Software Automation” aim to streamline validation. Harshil Goel (pictured at right), CEO of Dyndrite Corporation, discussed how his team is leveraging sensor data to analyze gas flow patterns, enabling more reliable machine evaluations and high-quality part production. Their efforts include baseline builds, a detailed Department of Engineering (DOE) plan, and an automation tool chain assessment for long-term risk mitigation.

Additional OQ-related projects:

Advancing AM technologies and rapid tooling repair
Another topic area during TRX@Detroit was the advancements of AM technologies, with several projects highlighting emerging tools that enable greater design flexibility and production efficiency. One such initiative, “Innovations in Robotic Additive Manufacturing Process Planning,” led by Brennon Wilsey of Continuous Composites and his team, explored the development of an intuitive, 3D-focused user interface and tool pathing system. By incorporating variable slicing and intelligent algorithms, the system empowers designers to define fiber pathways with precision and ensure compatibility with finite element analysis software.

Similarly, the “Hybrid Manufacturing for Rapid Tooling and Repair – Phase 2” project will develop and demonstrate hardware and software tools that enable the repair of tooling components using a hybrid manufacturing process, while integrating controls to manage distortion and material non-uniformity.

Improving data management and knowledge sharing
Effective data management is increasingly recognized as a pillar of AM’s future. At TRX@Detroit, the connection between knowledge-sharing and AM advancements was illustrated through the efforts of Peter Coutts (pictured at left) of Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, in collaboration with the Edison Welding Institute, NCDMM, and America Makes. Coutts presented insights from the “Data Management Strategy Development” project, which focuses on improving the accessibility, shareability, and reusability of material datasets through the America Makes CORE platform – all critical steps toward enabling broader adoption and smarter decision-making in AM workflows.

From a broader perspective, the event examined AM’s strategic potential to deliver economies of scale and reduce costs in small-batch production and customized production scenarios. At the same time, participants acknowledged the need to overcome challenges such as material availability, qualification hurdles, and scalability to fully capitalize on AM’s role in strengthening the DIB and driving sustainable industry growth.

“TRX@Detroit was a powerful example of what can happen when the right people, ideas, and technologies come together,” said Brandon Ribic, Ph.D., Technology Director at America Makes. “The energy and collaboration we saw across industry, academia, and government reaffirmed our community’s commitment to advancing additive manufacturing and solving real-world challenges. Events like this set the tone for the progress we can make together.”

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