Additive Manufacturing
Ohio is the place of many firsts in additive manufacturing technology innovation.
1st
To develop a 3D printed drug
1st
To make 3D printed car
1st
3D printed turbine engine component
Ohio’s Additive Manufacturing Partners and Assets
Additive Manufacturing Networks
- Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the national accelerator for additive manufacturing. America Makes partners organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, workforce, and economic development resources to work together towards advancing additive manufacturing in the U.S.
- NEO Additive Manufacturing Cluster of Ohio creates partnerships across the additive manufacturing supply chain. Focusing on accelerating the use and adoption of 3D printing technologies, they are working toward five goals for achieving their vision.
Research Organizations
- EWI – Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, EWI is an independent engineering consultancy with comprehensive labs and advanced manufacturing technology resources dedicated specifically to production process development and improvement. They also established the Additive Manufacturing Consortium to accelerate and advance the manufacturing readiness of metal additive manufacturing technology.
- NASA Glenn Research Center – Located in Cleveland, Ohio, the NASA Glenn Research Center designs and develops technology to advance NASA’s missions in aeronautics and space exploration. NASA Glenn utilizes additive manufacturing technology in their research and product development.
Additive Manufacturing
- Battelle – Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle conducts research and development, manages laboratories, and designs and manufactures products for multi-national corporations, small start-up organizations, and government agencies across the country. They offer 3D printing and rapid prototyping services to their clients.
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) – Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, research by AFRL has influenced nearly every aerospace technology in the last century and routinely utilize additive manufacturing in their product development.
The talent you need to grow your business is in Ohio.
2.3x
Higher talent availability for 3D printing in Ohio than U.S. average
240K+
Ohio workers in key 3D printing occupations
10K+
Engineering and engineering technician graduates per year in Ohio
3D Printing Machine Manufacturer Chooses Ohio
AddUp, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of AddUp, a global manufacturer of metal 3D printing equipment and supplier of 3D printed parts, wants to centralize its operations along with its U.S. subsidiary, BeAM, Inc., which is in Blue Ash, in Ohio’s southwestern region.
AddUp focuses on Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology while BeAM focuses on Direct Energy Deposition (DED). The two companies will form one operating unit which will also be its North American headquarters.
Success in Ohio’s Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem
Fitz Frames manufactures children’s eyewear using 3D printing technology. Founded in 2019 by co-CEOs Heidi Hertel and Gabriel Schlumberger, the company chose the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) for its manufacturing operation because of the area’s reputation for 3D printing and additive manufacturing, Hertel says. “The more research we did, the more we were impressed with the city and saw it to be the Silicon Valley of all things 3D printing,” Hertel says. “The community has been really supportive, and we have found solid talent coming out of the local universities.”
3D Printed Engines Take Flight in Ohio
GE Aviation has demonstrated its faith in 3D printing as well as in Cincinnati’s talent and innovation infrastructure. In September 2015 the company moved its 3D printing development operation to a much larger location, tripling its floor space. Operating under the banner of the GE Aviation Additive Technology Center, the facility continues to focus on the advancement of 3D metal-based technology, building on the success of its 3D printed fuel nozzle for the LEAP engine and developing other applications for its aerospace turbine engine product lines.
Rugged 3D Finds New Ohio Home
Collin Boring, the founder and chief technology officer for the 3D printing company Rugged 3D, looked everywhere to find the right place to relocate his company from San Francisco — and found the Youngstown Business Incubator the best option. “I would have gone to the moon if that is where this type of ecosystem would have been,” he said. “It’s really important to me to put my company and its future somewhere where I know it can succeed. And that’s here,” he said.