CMTC and MANEX Gain Local Congressional Support for Additive Manufacturing Forum on March 20th in Livermore, CA

LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Manufacturing Technology Consulting^® (CMTC) in conjunction with MANEX, The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence in Northern California, is 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. CMTC and MANEX have gained Congressional support from their regions to support this exciting event. So far, over 175 attendees have registered for the event including manufacturers, vendors, economic development groups, educational institutions, and local and state officials.

“The Southern California region with its diversity of manufacturers, small to large, food processing to aerospace, can all take advantage of additive manufacturing to become more globally competitive. The event allows manufacturers to meet with vendors, service providers and learn how this technology can be applied to foster growth”

“The Southern California region with its diversity of manufacturers, small to large, food processing to aerospace, can all take advantage of additive manufacturing to become more globally competitive. The event allows manufacturers to meet with vendors, service providers and learn how this technology can be applied to foster growth,” said Congresswoman Janice Hahn (CA-44). “The fact that CMTC has taken a leadership role to focus on this technology, is a testament to their leadership to assist manufacturers in Southern California,” Hahn added.

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.

“It’s still remarkable to me that the science fiction of my youth is fast becoming the cutting edge job-creating technology of our age. MANEX and i-GATE are leading the way to highlight advanced manufacturing technologies like 3D printing and companies like Solid Concepts that are bringing this technology to the market. Today it is incumbent upon us to continue our research investments in American manufacturing and propel our economy towards a brighter more prosperous future,” stated Congressman John Garamendi (CA-3).

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.

“Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a game-changer in areas of science, health, technology, research and development, and beyond. As a Silicon Valley representative to Congress, I believe that AM is a key component in our nation’s efforts to return America to a high growth economy that is globally competitive and fiscally sound. I congratulate the organizers of the Additive Manufacturing Forum for taking these vitally important steps to connect industry, academia, and technology leaders and move AM forward,” said Congressman Michael Honda (CA-17).

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.