Over three days, thousands of the additive manufacturing (AM) community’s best and brightest packed Huntington Place in Detroit to discuss and learn about new products, materials, and solutions. Among the industry-leading experts in attendance, many people of the AM community are also members of SME. It’s exciting to see SME members contributing to a community that spans across all facets of manufacturing. It was refreshing to bring the AM community back together under one roof and it was inspiring to see SME members thrive.

Congratulations To All 2022 International Honor Award Winners

Seven leaders in industry and academia were recently recognized by SME with its 2022 International Honor Awards. On Sunday, May 15, 2022, SME proudly recognized its 2022 International Honor Award winners as part of its annual International Awards Gala. This year, seven leaders, from industry and academia, were recognized for their contributions in the areas of manufacturing technologies, processes, technical writing, education, research and management, and service to SME. All award honorees are:

2022 International Honor Awardees:

• Eli Whitney Productivity Award — Jay Lee, PhD, FSME, Foxconn Technology Group, Mason, Ohio
• Joseph A. Siegel Service Award — Vesna Cota, VMMI, Markham, Ontario
• SME Albert M. Sargent Progress Award — Yuebin Guo, PhD, FSME, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Piscataway, New Jersey
• Donald C. Burnham Manufacturing Management Award — Lisa Strama, The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• SME Education Award — David Hardt, PhD, FSME, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• SME Frederick W. Taylor Research Medal — I.S. Jawahir, PhD, FSME, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
• SME Gold Medal — A. Erman Tekkaya, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h., Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

Member Keynote Speakers

During the opening event on day 1 of RAPID + TCT, 2022 SME President, Dianne Chong addressed the masses. As the 90th president and a 25-year member of the organization, Dianne spoke about the changes we’ve seen in AM technology and business models over the decades, before stressing the need to prepare for a diverse, community-driven workforce of the future. Manufacturing is stronger when communities come together and having an inclusive workforce is important for any organization to thrive. Dianne wasn’t the only SME member to address the crowd from the main stage, it was thrilling to watch SME’s Senior Director of Membership, Sheronda L. Carr, speak to the thousands of manufacturing professionals in attendance. She reiterated the notion that membership continues to be the uniting factor of all SME initiatives and is a pillar in our association which continues its dedication to advancing manufacturing. These two individuals were clear examples of the strong women within manufacturing and the continuous growth of diversity within this sector.

Member Day

SME celebrated the anniversaries of three longtime Metro-Detroit chapters during Member Day at RAPID + TCT. Detroit Chapter 1 (85 years), Oakland Chapter 69 (76 years) and Ann Arbor Chapter 79 (72 years) have been pillars in the SME community and continue to do a wonderful job supporting member activities. In addition to these chapters was also the acknowledgement of individual SME member standouts. These members included several longtime chapter officers receiving recognition for their many years of membership, volunteerism and support:

Detroit Chapter 1 members:

• Mike Timko, LSME, CMfgE, SME Member Since 1968
• Howard Weston, SME Member Since 1989

Oakland/Macomb Chapter 69 members:

• John Agapiou, PhD, FSME, SME Member Since 1981
• Gary Shepperd, SME Member Since 1998

Ann Arbor Chapter 79 members:

• Bob Heller, SME Member Since 1979
• Dave Steele, LSME, SME Member Since 1966

Awards and Achievements

During this year’s event, the Additive Manufacturing Industry Awards were presented to some amazing individuals honoring research, technical innovation, and career achievements. Slade Gardner, PhD, president and founder of Big Metal Additive, was awarded SME’s 2022 AM Industry Achievement Award winner for his contributions over a distinguished career for advancing industrial metal additive manufacturing, and for his recent work with large-scale metal-hybrid AM. Gardner is an SME member and a board member of the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association.

Amongst the Digital Manufacturing Challenge winners there were a few SME members who received recognition. Dr. Christopher Williams, director of the Virginia Tech DREAMS Lab is an SME member and chair of the AM Technical Committee. Another SME member involved was Dan Braley, Boeing associate technical fellow and the Boeing Global Services additive manufacturing technical focal and initiatives leader. Braley also proudly participates as a representative on the SME Member Council leading the member engagement activities of SME's volunteer networks.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Smack dab in the middle of the RAPID + TCT right in the middle of the show floor, America Makes sat down with Robert Willing, CEO and Executive Director of SME to discuss the partnership between SME and America Makes and the need for a constant effort to adopt new technologies to advance the industry and strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. The conversation continued with Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer of SME and Josh Cramer, Director of Education and Workforce Development at America Makes where they examined trends in additive manufacturing education and the importance of diversity in the manufacturing workforce. These conversations are crucial to manufacturing and it’s important to see strong manufacturing institutions come together to achieve great things. The participation of SME members throughout the week of RAPID + TCT is a wonderful reminder of how a community of well-intentioned manufacturers can make a difference.

SME Celebrates 90 Years

For 90 years, SME has been the manufacturing industry’s leading voice for advancement and opportunity. Through events like RAPID + TCT and other activities, SME creates, shares and provides resources for manufacturers, promotes advanced manufacturing technology, and works to develop a skilled manufacturing workforce. What better way to honor 90 years of excellence than to enjoy a celebration by during the RAPID + TCT industry night amongst SME members, partners, industry experts, and our manufacturing friends. SME members were among those in attendance celebrating the past while also looking to inspire the future of manufacturing.