Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s first-ever “Industry Day,” which is being held next week (it’s actually a two-day affair, not a single), and lab spokeswoman Morgan McCorkle said about 350 people — representing at least 120 companies and other institutions and organizations — are expected to attend.,
The event is sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy program, and it will reportedly open up the lab to all sorts of business possibilities and partnerships with regional entities.
On display will be one of the biggest projects ever using 3D printing (additive manufacturing), reportedly involving ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and lots of different partners, such as Clayton Homes, for the building/vehicle project.
ORNL Director Thom Mason and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann are scheduled to welcome folks on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and the events will continue through Thursday.
The presentations and discussions will range from “extreme innovation,” featuring new directions for 3D printing, to cool technologies on the rise and ways to work with DOE’s national laboratories. Facility tours will be available, along with lots of time for networking, according to the advance reports.
Patrick Hughes, director of ORNL’s Building Technologies Program, said in a statement:
“We have a proven track record of dveloping successful R&D relationships with large industry partners. This event is meant to introduce mid-size and smaller businesses to a national lab; give them an opportunity to network with researchers, our current large industry partners, and DOE; and discuss ways they can utilize our expertise and capabilities to help them produce more energy-efficient products and resolve issues of pushing these products into the market.”
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