Reimagining Manufacturing: 3D Printing Poised to Play a Big Role in MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently launched a major new program called the Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), “an Institute-wide effort” that will harness all the university’s capacity for driving comprehensive research activity into the reindustrialization of the U.S. economy. MIT faculty, members of the administration, and manufacturing sector stakeholders launched the INM in early May at a daylong symposium: “A Vision for New Manufacturing.”

So far, the program’s formal details largely surround the INM Industry Consortium, which includes six major corporations as founding members. In addition to GE Vernova and Siemens, two longtime drivers of additive manufacturing (AM) adoption, the consortium is comprised of biotech giant Amgen, electronics contract manufacturer Flex, product lifecycle software firm PTC, and pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi.

The members of the INM Industry Consortium will provide support to early-stage projects originating at MIT, with the first area of focus in this context being the overlap between manufacturing and AI. In addition to the consortium, INM leadership is also planning a variety of programs intended to create immersive learning environments, such as a factory observatory curriculum that will enable students to gain hands-on experience at real-world production sites. In that vein, INM’s workforce development component will also draw upon and expand existing MIT programs, such as TechAMP, which creates pathways for manufacturing technicians to become shop-floor leaders.

MIT Mechanical Engineering Professor John Hart, a co-founder of VulcanForms and member of the INM leadership team, commented as part of the launch announcement, “While manufacturing feels very timely today, it is of enduring importance. Manufactured products enable our daily lives and manufacturing is critical to advancing the frontiers of technology and society. Our efforts leading up to launch of the initiative revealed great excitement about manufacturing across MIT, especially from students. Working with industry — from small to large companies, and from young startups to industrial giants — will be instrumental to creating impact and realizing the vision for new manufacturing.”

In a letter to the university, MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth wrote, “We want to work with firms big and small, in cities, small towns and everywhere in between, to help them adopt new approaches for increased productivity. We want to deliberately design high-quality, human-centered manufacturing jobs that bring new life to communities across the country. Helping America build a future of new manufacturing is a perfect job for MIT — and I’m convinced that there is no more important work we can do to meet the moment and serve the nation now.”

The mission is indeed both timeless and timely, and if history — and the program’s direction by a co-founder from a company like VulcanForms — are any indication, AM should be central to the INM’s mission. Along these lines, the establishment of the INM may be viewed as part of a broader trend in U.S. academia over the last several years, with another recent example being the University of Illinois’ announcement at the beginning of this month that it is launching a large-format metal AM research center with $8 million in DoD support.

For a variety of reasons, the INM Industry Consortium’s initial focus on the AI/manufacturing nexus is a perfect start towards achieving its objectives. For one thing, of course, the timing just makes sense. Furthermore, though, MIT in particular, is exactly the right place to accelerate R&D in leveraging AI for manufacturing, and for AM specifically, especially in areas such as materials development and quality control.

Finally, simply acknowledging the sheer number of AM spin-outs that MIT has spawned over the years is sufficient to realize why MIT has the credentials to consistently furnish AM R&D that can be meaningfully commercialized at a brisk pace. The launch of INM, along with other similar moves at other institutions, reflects a growing academic push to advance AM and related technologies as a core part of U.S. manufacturing strategy.