Virginia Tech and Blacksburg will showcase advanced manufacturing’s present and future — right down to the atoms — in a trio of events next week.
It starts Monday with a single-day event, the inaugural Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials (AM²) Hub Conference.
Additive manufacturing is better known as 3D printing. Advanced materials are human-made and include polymers, ceramics and metal alloys that are used in 3D printing.
Monday’s AM² Hub Conference is organized by a consortium of university, public and private partners, including GO Virginia and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The event is scheduled for the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center and will host manufacturers, researchers and policymakers in panels, breakout sessions and guided lab tours, according to a Virginia Tech news release.
The aim is to “accelerate collaboration, innovation and growth in the commonwealth,” according to the release.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Future Manufacturing Workforce Workshop will feature lab tours at the university, research presentations and workshops in which organizers ask participants to share their ideas. Skill identification and development, networking, collaboration and innovation are the goals, according to the VT news release.
Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory’s Fall Workshop is set for Tuesday through Thursday and will offer hands-on experiences with advanced nanoscale characterization and fabrication tools at Virginia Tech — bring your own samples and leave with data and an advanced understanding of how to use the university’s nano tools, according to the registration page.
Register for $60 at this link or walk up for the same price on Monday, organizers say. The events are meant to raise the region’s visibility to a wider audience, said John Provo, executive director at Virginia Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement.
Virginia’s AM² Tech Hub launched in 2023, fueled by a Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grant, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Virginia Tech’s role includes “connecting companies with emerging technologies, specialized training, and shared infrastructure,” according to the university.
“We’ve always had folks from beyond the region coming to connect and understand and see how they can work with the companies and the other assets that we have at Virginia Tech and elsewhere in our community,” Provo said.
With this conference and a “Tech Hub Roadmap” rollout scheduled for delivery next week, their work continues.
Correction 2:45 p.m. Sept. 16: The U.S. Economic Development Administration was misidentified in an earlier version of this article.