Innovators offered use of U.S. test space

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama offered inventors and shade-tree mechanics access to U.S. government research facilities to help create products that have potential to lead to manufacturing jobs.

Obama, in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, highlighted programs to encourage inventors and announced the government will make available to inventors more than $5 billion worth of equipment at more than 700 federal research and development facilities.

American manufacturing "has come roaring back" since the recession, he said, but the U.S. needs to maintain skills and basic research "if we're going to maintain our innovative edge in this global economy."

A White House report released Monday said manufacturing output had increased 30 percent since the end of the recession in June 2009, growing at a rate almost twice that of U.S. economy as a whole.

Manufacturing has a "ripple effect" on the economy, Obama said.

Under the program to use government assets and research, inventors might use NASA's wind tunnels to test the strength and design of a new aeronautics design. Or the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could be used to test composites and carbon fibers that lead to clean energy technologies.

This is "equipment that no individual or small business could ever afford on its own," said Jeff Zients, director of the White House National Economic Council.

Obama made the announcement of the federal program at TechShop, a private chain of workshops where people can take classes on electronics, metal working, and other industrial tool-based skills to build and test their own inventions and products and create jobs.

TechShop calls itself a "playground for creativity" and "part fabrication and prototyping studio, part hacker space and part learning center." It has eight facilities in six states. Members pay $125 a month for access to more than $1 million worth of advanced machines, tools, 2-D and 3-D design software and other professional equipment.

The administration also noted that more than 90 mayors or local business leaders are expanding community access to manufacturing and prototype equipment to inspire careers in industry or engineering.

In addition, the White House will host what it calls a Maker Faire today to tout new inventions that may "fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing." U.S. manufacturing accounts for 75 percent of the country's private sector research and development.

Tuesday night in Manhattan, Obama was attending a pair of fundraisers benefiting the Democratic National Committee. Obama has promised to attend 30 fundraisers by the end of June to raise cash for Democrats for the midterm elections.

A Section on 06/18/2014