ORNL showcases Manufacturing Demonstration Facility collaboration

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is highlighting the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility’s collaboration model and workforce development approach.

• MDF is presented as a nationwide innovation hub for advanced manufacturing, using collocation, CRADAs, and hands-on collaboration with industry, entrepreneurs, startups, universities, and government partners.
• The article says MDF has operated since 2012, grown from fewer than ten staff to more than 200, and supported more than 10,000 students through America’s Cutting Edge (ACE); it also references Beehive Industries opening a 60,000-square-foot facility in Knox County in 2024 as an example of successful technology transfer.