America Makes Gets Ready for Maker Initiative
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- A driver for FedEx pulls his truck along the curb outside the offices of America Makes downtown, opens the sliding door and unloads a half-dozen boxes.
Within these boxes are components for a 3-D printer system, one of 20 or so that began arriving at various times Wednesday and will continue arriving today in preparation for Make magazine's 3-D printer "shootout" this weekend, part of the four-day Youngstown Maker City launch.
"This is the first time they've taken [the shootout] offsite," says Barb Ewing, chief operating officer of the Youngstown Business Incubator. "They always do it at their offices in San Francisco."
However, the draw of America Makes, the first of President Obama's plan to develop a network of advanced manufacturing centers across the country, convinced Make editors that Youngstown would be the appropriate setting for this year's event.
Ewing says Make publishes a highly sought-after annual issue devoted to reviewing the latest technology in the 3-D printing community. "It's a kind of Consumer Reports edition of the Maker movement," she says. "They bring the newest editions of 3-D printers to do stress testing, check to see how durable they are, how fast they print materials and any limitations."
All of the 3-D printers being tested are smaller desktop models, that is, machines geared to hobbyists, small-businessmen who can use them for prototyping, or students and teachers who want to learn more about the technology.
"These are low-end, affordable machines that you can hook up to any computer and learn about the technology," Ewing says.
Ewing says the "shoot-out" edition of Make is considered the go-to issue in terms of understanding 3-D printing and finding the right printer and technology to suit a user's applications. "This gives you the parameters and tells you what is the best machine for your budget and specific application."
America Makes, initially established as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, helps to facilitate research and development in 3-D printing. The process, also known as additive manufacturing, involves using materials such as metals and plastic to "print" components or products directly from a virtual design.
"They thought it was a good opportunity," Scott Deutsch, spokesman for America Makes, says of the interest from Make magazine. "We're looked at as the de facto information source and it’s great to have them come here."
Some 40 judges and reviewers will be in town throughout this weekend as part of the Youngstown Maker City Initiative. The event kicks off with a private reception Thursday evening and the shoot-out will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.
The Youngstown Maker City initiative culminates from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday with an open house at America Makes.
Tickets to the public open house are free and Ewing encourages families to attend. The event is expected to draw between 200 and 300, she says.
Ewing emphasizes that the Maker City Initiative is also an introduction to a much broader effort to promote 3-D printing for major industrial uses.
"Because of the nature of the Youngstown economy, we want to make sure that we're pushing this technology, not just to the individual, but also for industrial applications that can transform the Mahoning Valley," she says.
Ewing expressed her gratitude for all of the officeholders, the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city of Youngstown and the sponsors of the initiative.
"We really want people to come down, bring their kids and show how it can change their future, what possibilities it can open for them," Ewing says. "We think it's a great story and we're looking forward to telling it."
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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