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Additive manufacturing, known more widely as 3D printing, has grown beyond just a prototyping process into a critical tool that companies use for making quick and reliable parts and devices.
While federal research and development grants have been effective for companies seeking to integrate additive manufacturing into their operations, workforce and cost barriers remain a challenge, said Brett Conner, chief manufacturing officer at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
“Our role at SME is to try to help people overcome those barriers,” said Conner, who became the organization’s first CMO in October. The nonprofit, established in 1932, is focused on educating the North American manufacturing industry about automation, lasers, smart manufacturing and other technologies and tools.
Conner has more than 25 years of manufacturing and leadership experience, recently serving as a senior program manager for additive manufacturing with PM2 Strategies, a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense. In that role, he worked closely with the Pentagon, military services and defense agencies to drive policy, strategy and investments related to advanced manufacturing.
