More than 50 experts convened in Knoxville over two days to prioritize bold, new engineering research directions to advance the future of distributed manufacturing
A competitive U.S. manufacturing sector must merge the digital and physical worlds and leverage new materials and processes to improve productivity and agility. It will take investment now in research and development to set the stage to revitalize manufacturing in the coming decades. The engineering research priorities to enable a thriving future for distributed manufacturing were the focus of a two-day visioning event convened this week by the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA), a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded initiative.
More than 50 researchers and technical experts from academia, industry, nonprofits, and national laboratories met in Knoxville, TN, to ideate and articulate the technical challenges to create products and tools for distributed manufacturing anywhere, anytime, any place, and in any quantity. This is the democratization of distributed manufacturing, which promises to harness technical advances in data, real-time measurement, automation, and machine learning for manufacturing expansion, resulting in increased productivity and economic growth.
“The lingering supply chain and workforce effects of the pandemic, along with the current geopolitical landscape, pull back the curtain on the national security risks the United States faces because of reliance on other nations to supply our production and manufacturing needs,” said Charles Johnson-Bey, ERVA co-principal investigator and senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton. “This event brought together a diverse group of the brightest minds in the nation to address the democratization of manufacturing that will enable small and medium manufacturers, which represent 98% of U.S. companies, to capture up to $500 billion of new manufacturing business and reduce the U.S. reliance on external capabilities.”
New engineering R&D will be integral to the design, application, and expanded use of technical solutions for efficient, effective distributed manufacturing. The goal is a manufacturing ecosystem dispersed across geography but connected digitally to the expertise and resources needed to keep machines running effectively by a new generation of manufacturing knowledge workers. The ERVA visioning session catalyzed creative, bold thinking and gathered future-focused research ideas from innovators and researchers in a range of specialty disciplines. Johnson-Bey worked with a Thematic Task Force representing high tech and manufacturing from across sectors—university, industry, and national labs. The task force structured the proceedings over two days to identify research priorities in three topical areas: materials; tools, systems, and processes; and data analytics and quality assurance. Participants recommended bold new research directions at the exploratory research edge and with the potential for significant societal impact.
ERVA visioning events are an unparalleled opportunity for selected participants to scope engineering approaches to address societal challenges, conceptualize future solutions, and prioritize use-inspired research for long-term global impact. The event was a unique opportunity for an open exchange of futuristic ideas shared from diverse perspectives.
ERVA provides the engineering community with a process for identifying bold and societally impactful engineering research directions that will place the U.S. in a leading position to realize a better future for all. It is an engaged, inclusive, multilayered partnership, providing a diverse array of voices with the opportunity to impact national research priorities. Event participants were identified and invited based on their research and expertise and represent scientists across academic disciplines, geographic location, organization sector and type, gender, race/ethnicity, and career stage.
The results of the proceedings will be distilled and disseminated via a report identifying priorities for engineering researchers to pursue with the goal of enabling new processes and technology to advance distributed manufacturing.
Learn more about this visioning event and the work of the thematic task force, and sign up to receive updates and the results report.
About ERVA
The Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) is a neutral convener that helps define future engineering research directions. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering, ERVA is a diverse, inclusive and engaged partnership that enables an array of voices to impact national research priorities. The five-year initiative convenes, catalyzes and enables the engineering community to identify nascent opportunities and priorities for engineering-led innovative, high-impact, cross-domain research that addresses national, global and societal needs. Learn more at www.ERVAcommunity.org.
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