U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks at a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation at the University of Texas El Paso as a satellite facility for America Makes.
Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first institute launched as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), with a focus on additive manufacturing and 3D printing technology. Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) also participated in the event.
During her remarks, Secretary Pritzker highlighted the success of the America Makes institute and NNMI programs. Today, America Makes has 142 private sector, academic, and non-profit partners who work together to foster innovation in 3D printing technology -- part of the Obama Administration's national drive to spur American competitiveness and ensure that the next great revolution in manufacturing happens right here in the United States.
Established in 2001 as part of the University's commitment to 3D printing, the Keck Center features more than 50 additive manufacturing machines and more than 50 involved faculty, staff, students and researchers dedicated to advance research for 3D printed electronics, airplane and satellite components, biomedical implants and future energy systems. The Secretary had an opportunity to tour the facility and see firsthand the innovative projects of the Keck Center.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery Thank you, Dr. Natalicio and UTEP, for hosting us today and for welcoming us to the Keck Center for 3D Innovation. I also want to recognize all of our partners from the Department of Defense and from the America Makes institute.
It is an honor to be here with Congressman Beto O’Rourke. I have gotten to know the Congressman in recent months as we have discussed the benefits of trade and global commerce to the businesses, workers, and families of this city. I appreciate not only his deep desire to understand complex policy debates, but his deep connection to this community – HIS community.
As a young man working in what was then the new internet technology field, Congressman O’Rourke could have pursued a career anywhere. Yet he decided to return home: to start a company that employs local workers and provides internet services to local households. In the private sector, he sought to strengthen El Paso; in Congress, he strives to do the same. He is utilizing the creativity and energy he needed to start and grow his business to fight for the best interests of his neighbors, to spur prosperity for his hometown, and to promote the competitiveness of our entire country.
President Obama and our Administration share Congressman O’Rourke’s commitment to American competitiveness. To uphold this commitment, the President laid out a vision to put our nation on the cutting edge of manufacturing and innovation, and to keep the United States on the leading edge of research and new industries.
A key component of his vision came to life as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, or NNMI, an initiative that brings public, private, and educational institutions under one roof to translate promising discoveries into American-made products that can be sold across the globe.
Three years ago, our first NNMI institute opened its doors in Youngstown, Ohio, called “America Makes.” This institute taps into the expertise of universities, community colleges, businesses, and NGOs to translate the promise of 3D printing into new products and technologies.
Today, “America Makes” is thriving, growing from 65 founding members to 142 private sector, academic, and non-profit partners. The center’s research is yielding new patents; participating companies like General Electric are investing millions in 3D printing technologies; the FDA recently approved a 3D-printed medical device developed at the institute for use with patients; and one “America Makes” project will reduce the cost of 3D printing metals by a factor of four.
The “America Makes” partnership is a model for how innovative leaders in different sectors are working together to place America at the forefront of a new, fast-expanding industry. And for the past 15 years, the Keck Center has built a model in the same field, emerging as a leader in 3D printing research, discovery, and commercialization. This center has partnered with other educational institutions, major corporations, and start-ups This center has brought faculty and students together to explore the possibilities of additive manufacturing, drawing from knowledge in fields like materials science, chemistry, electronics, and more. This center’s remarkable expertise has made it a natural partner for “America Makes.” And today, we are formalizing that relationship by officially cutting the ribbon on the Keck Center as the first satellite campus of the “America Makes” institute.
This partnership is what President Obama had in mind when he established NNMI: To plant the seeds of advanced manufacturing in one community and spur growth across the country; and to build on the roots of research in places like Youngstown and El Paso in order to strengthen these cities as hubs of innovation, trade, and commerce.
The work of “America Makes” and the Keck Center advance key goals of our economic agenda: to spur American competitiveness and to ensure that the next great revolution in manufacturing happens right here in the United States. Thank you.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
