The organization formerly known as NAMII, will now be known as America Makes. And with that change comes a slight change in focus for the organization, which also puts the spotlight on how we define manufacturing.

Said Ralph Resnick, Founding Director of the Institute and NCDMM President and Executive, in his remarks to members, “America Makes is a vehicle for the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute to raise our profile, reach a wider audience to include the hobbyist and the entrepreneur, and ultimately, provide a richer member experience. America Makes is a far-reaching movement that goes beyond the walls of industry and into the homes of individuals. This is how we will become competitive. This is how we grow our nation’s economy and get ahead.”

America Makes is challenging the perception of manufacturing. Noted Ed Morris, Director, the organization’s focus will include “all of the innovative people in our country—whether they are hobbyists, entrepreneurs, or they work in industry, academia, and government.”

This is a timely debate—just what is manufacturing, now?

It has taken almost thirty years for U.S. manufacturing to reach its present state—a bit disheveled, a bit worse for wear, with various key parts missing as manufacturing companies moved overseas. Ivory tower think tanks encouraged this dismantling, partly because manufacturing wasn’t “cool.” It was, and often still is viewed (inaccurately) as a dirty job, usually done by people with just a high-school education. Congress, maybe in their ignorance, maybe as part of a plan, went along with the Ivory Tower recommendations. And corporate CEOs ran with the suggestion to “take your business elsewhere.”

Now that our economy is struggling, these groups remember the importance of a strong manufacturing infrastructure. But do they remember how to rebuild it? Will it take as long to rebuild as it did to break apart? And a key question—what should it be now that we have different technology available?

In all the commentary on 3D printing and additive manufacturing (AM), we throw the word “manufacturing” around liberally, without really checking on what exactly do we mean by it. Just what constitutes manufacturing, now?

Thirty, forty years ago, manufacturing was the mass production of cars, appliances, steel-based buildings and machines among other items. The cost of these items continually dropped because we could make them en mass and reap the benefits of spreading the machines and material costs over each object.

Today, you can almost make one-offs for the same cost as mass production. I say almost because experts are still debating the total cost of ownership, materials, and maintenance of many additive technologies.

But let’s be blunt here. While low-cost hobby 3D printers essentially enable anyone to become a manufacturer, can we really have a robust manufacturing industry making one-offs? What should manufacturing be now that we can add and subtract material to build objects? Is there still a place for mass production? Is one type of manufacturing more valuable than the other?

Can one-offs really re-ignite our manufacturing prowess? A reminder for those less familiar with history, shortly after WWII, the U.S. was the manufacturing giant of the world. Our manufacturing capacity and capability literally helped rebuild much of Europe and parts of Asia. And then it went on through the 1950s and 1960s to build an exceptionally high standard of living for Americans.

I doubt that the making of one-offs will return our manufacturing capability to its former glory. But I do think the hobbyists and entrepreneurs will be instrumental in growing, changing, and re-framing manufacturing. As industry consultant Todd Grimm has pointed out many times, the best use of both 3D printing and additive manufacturing is in rethinking, in taking advantage of additive technologies unique abilities and building what was not buildable before, not in replacing what we are already doing.

So, given the capabilities additive technologies can bring, how would you define manufacturing today and tomorrow? Send me your thoughts, or continue the debate here.

Leslie Langnau
llangnau@wtwhmedia.com