CMTC and MANEX Promote New Additive Manufacturing Forum at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Manufacturing Technology Consulting^® (CMTC) in conjunction with MANEX, The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence in Northern California, are launching an Additive Manufacturing Forum on March 20, 2013 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA. This is the first event produced by the recently formed group, California Network for Manufacturing Innovation (CNMI). The CNMI Partners include: CMTC, MANEX, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, RTI, El Camino College, USC NASA Ames Research Center and i-Gate. Each of these organizations has made a commitment to provide a comprehensive event for manufacturers in California.

“i-Gate is excited to be a founding partner in CNMI and is looking forward to hosting the reception and vendor expo as part of this event”

The all-day event on March 20^th will open with welcoming comments from Patrick Dempsey, Manager of Strategic Engagements, and Director’s Office at LLNL. Throughout the day there will be a series of panel discussions on OEM needs, vendor/suppliers, success stories, innovation and service providers. “This event will discuss how additive manufacturing is being used to rapidly develop and produce a broad spectrum of new products. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is honored to be hosting such an event,” stated Patrick Dempsey.

The keynote speaker will be Kish Rajan. Governor Brown appointed Kish Rajan as the GO-Biz director in September 2012. Mr. Rajan works closely with the Governor’s Senior Jobs Advisor, Mike Rossi, to lead the executive team in streamlining services for business leaders and enhancing job creation, economic development and international trade statewide.

“Additive Manufacturing can be a truly transformative force for manufacturing flexibility by cutting prototyping and development time, reducing material waste, eliminating tooling costs, enabling complex shapes and structures, and simplifying production runs,” said Gene Russell, President and CEO for MANEX.

Prior to the event, a vendor expo will be held the evening before, March 19^th, at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course Clubhouse. Rob White, CEO from i-Gate, is organizing the vendor expo. “i-Gate is excited to be a founding partner in CNMI and is looking forward to hosting the reception and vendor expo as part of this event,” stated Mr. White. This event will allow manufacturers to meet suppliers and vendors in the additive manufacturing industry.

“This innovative technology provides promise for the defense, energy, aerospace, medical and commercial sectors. As the manufacturing industry becomes more innovative, it is our responsibility to learn how to harness it. The Additive Manufacturing Forum will show us how this technology can be used to gain a competitive advantange,” said Jim Watson, President and CEO of CMTC.

Additive manufacturing, the building of materials layer by layer and with high precision, is now turning the dream of complex, multi-material components into a reality. Additive manufacturing allows designers the option of building a part as a single unit, from multiple materials, from the inside out. This capability improves the precision of the product's fabrication and reduces material waste.

ABOUT CMTC

A private, nonprofit corporation established in 1992, CMTC is the Southern California affiliate of NIST MEP, under the Federal Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, a network of more than 60 centers across the country that provides assistance to small, medium and large manufacturers. CMTC serves Fresno to San Diego/Imperial County. CMTC and MANEX represent the MEP system in California and work in close collaboration on all manufacturing issues and opportunities within the State of California. For more information, visit www.cmtc.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Subscribe to our manufacturing network blog at http://www.cmtc.com/blog.

ABOUT MANEX

The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (MANEX), a private non-profit corporation, was established in 1995 to provide services to small and mid-size manufacturers in Northern California. MANEX operates through a cooperative agreement between the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under the Department of Commerce. MANEX serves Northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border. MANEX and CMTC represent the MEP system in California and work in close collaboration on all manufacturing issues and opportunities within the State of California. www.northerncaliforniamep.org and www.mfgca.org for further information.