From the Machine Shop to Cutting-Edge Technology: How NIST Helps Grow American Manufacturing

Growing up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I witnessed firsthand the heartbeat of American manufacturing. I remember the hum of machines, the rhythm of assembly lines and the pride of workers crafting products that powered industries across the nation. I can still smell the oil and hear the machines in the wire-cutting electrical discharge machining (EDM) shop that my grandfather owned and operated.

From being a major center for the woolen industry in the 19th century to General Electric being the primary employer in the 20th century, Pittsfield was a town where manufacturing wasn't just an economic activity - it was a way of life.

While manufacturing is no longer at the center of Pittsfield life, it's still a critical industry. Today, I'm proud to work at NIST supporting a program that expands American manufacturing, known as Manufacturing USA. Our goal is to help towns like Pittsfield excel in modern manufacturing.

Manufacturing USA is a network of 18 public-private partnerships, each focusing on a specific technology area. For more than 10 years, we've promoted the sharing of facilities, equipment and knowledge to drive overall U.S. manufacturing success.

Additionally, our institutes provide resources such as:

• Knowledgeable staff to help companies solve problems
• Facilities to train current and future employees
• New technology that companies can try out before investing in it for their own use

Below are just three of many areas where the Manufacturing USA network is making an impact on American industry.

A New Model For Innovation

Manufacturing USA's public-private model allows companies to collaborate on innovations, such as pooling research and development expertise, outside of their normal competition. Sharing expertise and access to top-tier facilities helps benefit the entire manufacturing industry. Those companies then compete against each other with their individual products.

A standout example is a quicker way to prepare high-volume liquids that the pharmaceutical industry relies on to manufacture therapeutic proteins, known as buffer solutions.

The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), a biopharmaceutical manufacturing institute backed by NIST, joined forces with pharmaceutical companies Merck, Sanofi, GSK and others on this effort. The partners built a full-scale commercial prototype that can prepare large quantities of buffer solutions more efficiently. The open design allows any instrument manufacturer to develop its own commercial products based on this prototype. This new buffer-stock blending system cuts the time it takes to mix 2,000 liters of buffer solution from eight hours to under one. This saves time, space and money in the drug development process.

Rebuilding Supply Chains Around New Technology

Semiconductors are the backbone of modern electronics, controlling the flow of electricity in devices such as refrigerators, cars and phones. As the demand for these chips continues to grow, Manufacturing USA institutes are rebuilding U.S. supply chains in semiconductors - strengthening our domestic industry and bringing jobs back to the U.S.

For example, one institute, PowerAmerica, partners with public and private groups to improve power electronics using advanced materials, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, in its chips. These materials can slash energy costs in factories, data centers and electric vehicles, helping our manufacturers be more competitive. By producing these chips in the U.S. using small, local firms, PowerAmerica is helping to create resilient supply chains.

Growing Regional Economies: From Jeans to Genes

Manufacturing USA institutes are creating local jobs and revitalizing old factories into modern manufacturing centers in American communities.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, for example, Manufacturing USA institute BioFabUSA transformed abandoned textile mills into manufacturing centers that make living cells and tissues for medical treatment. This process is known as regenerative manufacturing. The area is now known as "ReGen Valley," showing how state and local backing can spark regional revival.

Our institutes have brought manufacturing and new jobs to communities as varied as Youngstown, Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas. Others have turned old plants into innovation hubs. For example, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America in New England's historic mill towns and NIIMBL in Delaware's former Chrysler factory have helped communities rebuild and spread economic gains nationwide.

These are just a few of the hundreds of examples of transformations happening in today's manufacturing sector through the hard work and dedication of the Manufacturing USA institutes, federal sponsors, member organizations and partners.

Every now and then, I contemplate what my grandfather would think about the progress our country has made in manufacturing.

I can picture his eyes widening and hear his voice saying "Woooow" as I tell him about the massive additive manufacturing machines and collaborative robots I've seen in my communications role at Manufacturing USA.

At one of our institutes, CESMII: The Smart Manufacturing Institute, experts developed smart sensors that can detect if an EDM machine - like the one my grandfather had - has a part that needs repair. I think that running his shop would have been so much easier with the data and awareness that smart sensors would have brought.

Learn more about Manufacturing USA and our 10 years of impact on manufacturing.