Forging the Future: Robotics and METAL

Heavy hammers. High heat. Glowing metal. These are all images that come to mind when one pictures a foundry. While the heat and the molten materials remain central, the modern foundry floor is undergoing a massive technological transformation, and METAL is staying on top of the game. Our partners, including the University of Tennessee Knoxville, are bringing advanced robotics directly into the educational space. Bootcamp and workshop participants are getting a firsthand look at how smart manufacturing is reshaping the trades. It is no longer just about melting and pouring; it is about precision, safety, and efficiency.

Heavy Industry and High Tech

A worker moves cast iron bathtubs using a special machine.

At the Kohler Foundry in Kohler, WI, high tech machines allow workers to move heavy cast iron tubs safely and with ease.

When participants step into a modern metal workshop, they see advanced robotic arms operating just feet away from traditional sand casting tables and investment casting stations. This pairing of the old and the new demonstrates the real-world applications of automation in manufacturing. Today’s industry relies heavily on automation to handle repetitive, dangerous, or highly precise tasks. By integrating these dynamic machines into the learning environment, bootcamps provide a comprehensive, 360-degree view of modern production pipelines.

Precision and Durability on the Foundry Floor

Industrial-strength heavy lifters, utilized in large-scale factory settings, are built to withstand the intense rigors of heavy industry. During induction forging demonstrations, these robust robotic arms handle the high-stress, high-heat tasks.

Paul, a UTK computer science student working on the foundry robots, explained the specific advantages of their UR12e model: “The UR12e on the other hand is actually used in industry as a factory robot, so that’s what we use for the induction furnace. It’s a little more durable, it can take more stress and stuff, and it’s also a lot easier to program.”

Two students pose with a robotic arm in a laboratory setting.

Tennessee students Paul and Vishnu work with the robotics used for METAL workshops and bootcamps.

These industrial machines are programmed to grip cylindrical metal pucks and precisely manage their thermal cycles. Describing the automation of this intense environment, Paul says they will “heat them up till they’re like orange, almost white-hot, and then we put them in a hydraulic press and we stamp the METAL logo into them.”

After the stamping process, the robotic arms smoothly transition metal into a cooling water bath. “We also have it dunk the puck in water to cool it off afterward so you can control how long it swirls,” Paul notes, ensuring the metallurgical properties of the token or tool are properly set without ever risking human burns.

In contrast to heavy-duty factory arms, smaller precision robots are deployed for tasks requiring delicate, highly accurate movements. Utilizing advanced camera systems and artificial intelligence, these robots perform dynamic location and sorting functions.

Vishnu, another researcher working on robotics, explains that the system uses a “machine learning algorithm to take a picture of it, identify the shapes within the picture, and then set those as positions for it to come pick up and do stuff with.”

This level of precision requires meticulous calibration to ensure the robots function correctly. Because some colors naturally lack contrast in a factory setting, the team has to adapt the materials for the robot’s optical sensors. “We cover them with white so it has higher contrast; it’s easier for the robot to see,” Paul explains, highlighting the real-world troubleshooting required to make automation seamless.

Enhancing Safety Without Replacing the Artisan

A common misconception surrounding industrial automation is the fear of human obsolescence. However, the core philosophy demonstrated in these technical workshops is that robotics are implemented to enhance human capability, not replace it. Introducing a robotic arm to a blistering induction furnace has an incredibly straightforward benefit: operator safety.

A metal cylinder handled by a robotic arm and stamped with the METAL logo.

By delegating the most dangerous and physically demanding steps to machines, human workers are shielded from extreme temperatures, hazardous fumes, and repetitive motion injuries.

Paul perfectly summarized this ethos when discussing the robotic programming: “The idea is not to take the job from a human but to give a human greater control and safety over the process.” Consequently, the human element shifts from brute force to high-level process management. An operator working alongside a robotic arm is making critical decisions, controlling parameters via a tablet, and ensuring stringent quality control. The artisan’s deep knowledge of metallurgy is more critical than ever; the robot simply serves as a highly advanced tool that executes the artisan’s commands with unwavering consistency.

Training the Next Generation of Innovators

Ultimately, the inclusion of robotics in metal bootcamps serves as a critical bridge for the future workforce. Engaging with these technologies early on demystifies the programming, calibration, and maintenance of industrial machines. When students and participants adjust a time parameter on a tablet and immediately watch a robotic arm adapt its workflow in real-time, the advanced concepts of smart manufacturing become highly accessible.

The skills honed in these workshops go far beyond basic metalworking or simple casting. Participants leave with a foundational understanding of integrated manufacturing systems, machine learning applications in quality control, and the strict safety protocols required in automated environments. By striking this balance between traditional craftsmanship and next-generation technology, the industry is forging a smarter, safer, and incredibly innovative future.

How Sarah Jordan and Skuld are Reshaping Manufacturing and the Modern Workforce

Manufacturing has always been about making things. For Sarah Jordan, CEO and co-founder of Skuld LLC, the allure of the foundry began early. Growing up with a father who worked as a ceramics engineer, Jordan thought she’d be following directly in his footsteps. Instead, working in steel mills and foundries sparked a deep appreciation for metallurgy.

SkuldLLC Co-Founder and CEO Sarah Jordan.

“I always liked making things, and one of the fun things about being in a foundry is you get to make something tangible,” she said.

The Founder

With an extensive background that includes degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Carnegie Mellon, and ongoing PhD research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Jordan is steering her company toward an ambitious future. Skuld is actively merging the proven reliability of lost-foam investment casting with the cutting-edge flexibility of polymer 3D printing.

Traditional lost foam casting has long been reserved for extremely high-volume production. The sheer cost of traditional tooling can range from $150,000 to a couple of million dollars per part number. Jordan and her team saw 3D printing as a way to rethink the equation entirely.

“If you don’t need tooling, that seems like a better way to make small-volume things,” Jordan explained regarding the thought behind their innovation. Jordan notes that their technology is significantly faster than traditional investment casting, more accurate than sand casting, and much cheaper than relying solely on 3D printing. “It also allows you to have geometries that might not otherwise be feasible,” she added.

At the recent Joint Advanced Manufacturing Symposium at Fort Campbell, Skuld LLC put on a demo as part of the METAL Investment Casting Bootcamp. They arrived with a pre-printed cluster and gating system, walking trainees through the compaction process hands-on. By the end of the demonstration, they had melted aluminum right in the training bay and poured small army soldier statues.

Aluminum figure cast during the Skuld LLC demo at JAMS

Casting the Workforce

Technological innovation is only half the battle in modern manufacturing. The other half is ensuring a trained workforce is ready for the future. METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging. 

Like many organizations in the manufacturing sector, Skuld LLC is facing significant workforce development hurdles. The company is growing rapidly and is on track to double in size this year alone. This kind of explosive growth highlights a critical gap in the industry METAL aims to fill: a distinct lack of experience on the floor.

“A lot of apprentice programs assume you have experienced mentors available, but if your most experienced people only have two years of experience, no one is really equipped to train,” Jordan says.Through K-12 workshops and university bootcamps, METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants can complete METAL’s free online training before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts across the country, allowing them to pass on their expertise to the next generation.

A bootcamp participant pours molten metal by hand.

Jaidyn from Skuld LLC pouring metal as part of the Ohio State bootcamp.

For Jordan, engaging with initiatives like METAL is a vital part of the solution. ‘Programs like this are great, especially for people who don’t do the hands-on pouring every day, like lab technicians, to get a better understanding of the technical side,” she said.

Following Rosie’s Footsteps

Overcoming the foundry industry’s historical workforce demographics requires highly creative communication strategies. The foundry space is notoriously male-dominated, but Skuld LLC has proven that a simple shift in language can open the floodgates to new talent. When the company advertised an open assembly position, Jordan decided to change the job title to see what would happen.

“I advertised an assembly job as a ‘Crafter,'” she recalled. “In two days, I got 80 applicants, and ninety percent were women, which is shocking for a foundry job. Sometimes it’s just about the words you use,”she stated.

Jordan continues to push boundaries in the industry. When asked where she saw Skuld LLC in five years, she stated, “We think we will have several facilities. Right now we’re developing capabilities around heat-treating fixtures. We’ve developed the ability to cast steel in lost foam, so we’re looking at parts that are painful to machine.” Skuld LLC is the fourth company Jordan has founded, plus starting a chapter of Women in 3D Printing.

“Just always keep on learning,” Jordan advises young folks. “The jobs you might end up in might not even exist yet, so you have to be open to new experiences.”

The Truth About Manufacturing Careers (Part 2) | IACMI’s Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas

Check out this episode of Manufacturing Unscripted featuring Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas with IACMI–The Composites Institute.

Peter Parsons wraps up his two-part conversation with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, digging into the perception problem manufacturing still faces with parents and students alike. Elliot and Mike talk through why so many people still picture manufacturing as dangerous and dirty, and how technology and innovation have reshaped what these environments actually look like today. The conversation also covers the different tiers of skill development in a modern facility, why apprenticeships matter for knowledge transfer, and how IACMI is partnering with veterans groups and job boards to connect people directly with industry. Mike and Elliot close things out by sharing their 10-year vision for the program, from expanding westward to building industry confidence in US manufacturing for the long term.

Andy Bomberger with METAL and Bomberger Industry Graphics

Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Andy Bomberger with METAL and Bomberger Industry Graphics.

Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Andy Bomberger with Penn State University METAL Program about “Hands on manufacturing and foundry experience”.

The Industrial Talk podcast episode with Andy Bomberger describes nearly 29 years in foundry engineering, including work with steel, ceramics, polymers, machining, casting, and roughly 150–200 alloys.

Cast Your Future Casts Wide Net of Resources

The metalcasting industry is a vital piece of modern manufacturing, producing essential components that keep the world running. Despite its critical importance, the industry faces a challenge in connecting with the next generation of skilled workers.

Highh school students often overlook the dynamic, well-paying careers available in foundrie, simply because they are unawarethat these opportunities exist. To address this, METAL partner Non Ferrous Founders Society (NFFS) has launched a new website called Cast Your Future.

METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging. 

The concept for Cast Your Future originated from a pressing need to unify workforce development efforts across the country. Supported by a grant from the ATI Foundation, the project was developed to create a centralized platform that actively promotes metalcasting careers.

Bill Padnos, Director of Workforce Development at NFFS played a key role in bringing Cast Your Future to life. “This industry doesn’t have a single place to go that promotes metalcasting careers and resources, and that helps industry utilize what’s available out there,” he said.

Padnos points out that stakeholders frequently suffer from a paralyzing lack of direction, stating, “I always say there’s an analysis paralysis because there are so many programs and activities out there that people don’t know where to start.” He emphasized a need to celebrate the work itself, noting that “there was no site out there that talks about the craftsmanship and the dynamic nature of the industry, and we wanted something that was going to capture that.”

Bootcamp participants pour molten aluminum into molds.

METAL Bootcamp participants pour molten metal as part of the hands-on training.

Because metalcasting is rarely taught in high schools, or even at the community college level, students need accessible entry points to experience the trade firsthand. Through K-12 workshops and university bootcamps, METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants can complete METAL’s free online training before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts across the country.

Padnos explained how Cast You Future and METAL perfectly complement each other, “what METAL provides is an on-ramp for people who are potentially interested in careers. We wanted to use this site to spark their interest, but then also, after you’ve done a bootcamp or online the curriculum, there’s a place you can go to find out more information.”

One of the most significant challenges in workforce development is maintaining momentum after a student’s initial introduction to the field. Short-term programs often succeed in exciting students about industrial careers, but engagement frequently drops off immediately afterward. “We concentrate on the smiling faces when they come in and when they leave, but what happens the next day? Same thing with schools: you give a kid a diploma, maybe they tell you where they’re going, but then that’s it… You need that next day. That’s where manufacturers drop the ball,” stated Padnos.

Without a follow-up strategy, the industry loses potential talent simply because no one tells students what to do next. Cast Your Future provides METAL participants and others with resources after they achieve their certification. METAL’s K-12 programming and follow-up levels provide a long-running series of touchpoints that can help sustain that initial excitement.

To ensure the platform serves the entire metalcasting ecosystem, Cast Your Future segments its resources, offering specific, tailored pathways and toolkits for students, educators, and industry alike. METAL training and the long-term career navigation available through this new digital hub means the metalcasting industry is no longer waiting for talent to walk through the door; it is actively forging the path to bring them there.

Bradley White with Penn State University METAL Program

Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Bradley White with Penn State University METAL Program.

Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Bradley White with Penn State University METAL Program about “The Profession of Metallurgy”.

The Industrial Talk podcast episode, sponsored by the Propane Education and Research Council, features a discussion with Bradley White from Penn State’s METAL program. The program, which stands for Metallurgy, Metallurgical Engineering, Trade, Apprenticeship, and Learning, aims to train the next generation of workers in foundry skills. White, with 32 years of industry experience, is helping to establish a foundry lab at Penn State Barron, expected to be operational by 2027-2028. The program, funded by the Department of Defense, is expanding nationwide, with schools like Ohio State, Tennessee, and Purdue joining. The initiative emphasizes hands-on learning and real-world skills to inspire future industrial leaders.

Manufacturing Dive: Reality show Cast in Steel aims to attract next generation of metal casters

Original source: Manfacturing Dive

Six teams from schools across the U.S. cast and forge one of George Washington’s swords in a competition to win $25,000. The series is funded through a Defense Department $16.3 million contract.

A Department of Defense’s multimillion-dollar contract has brought a metal casting competition to the worldwide stage as reality show competition in an effort to spread awareness of the skill trade and inspire a new workforce.

Six teams from schools across the United States will be competing for a $25,000 cash prize on the season one finale of the metal casting reality show, Cast in Steel, airing Thursday on YouTube.

Read the story

Modern Casting: Reviving the Metalcasting Workforce: Keystone Foundry Trains the Next Generation

Original source: Modern Casting, August 2026 Issue

Twenty years ago, Adam Scheloske set out to transform Keystone Foundry into a world-class metal manufacturer. Today, METAL is helping fuel that vision — training the foundry’s workforce while preparing the next generation of American metal workers.

Read the story on page 28

Gear Technology: METAL’s Manufacturing Workforce Network

Original source: Gear Technology

A DoW-funded partnership brings online courses and hands-on bootcamps to Purdue’s foundry lab, training that feeds gear production.

Many students and job seekers are unfamiliar with the advanced technologies and career opportunities available in metal casting and forging. But thanks to the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning (METAL) program, led by the IACMI-The Composites Institute, that is changing. METAL is partnering with universities to showcase the rewarding careers these industries offer. Together, these institutions are hoping to revitalize American manufacturing by delivering responsive, scalable, and sustainable workforce development programs.

Read the story here

Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap with IACMI’s Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas (Part 1)

Check out this episode of Manufacturing Unscripted featuring Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas with IACMI, The Composites Institute.

Peter Parsons sits down with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing and Innovation, to talk about how they’re building the next generation of the manufacturing workforce. Mike directs the METAL program and Elliot directs the ACE program, and together they break down how these initiatives connect academia, industry, and government to close the skills gap in advanced manufacturing.

They dig into the K through 12 outreach efforts getting kids hands-on with sand casting and machining before they ever set foot in a factory, why foundries have declined 40 percent over the past 20 years and what that means for national defense, and the career paths (apprenticeships, boot camps, internships) that can lead to a six figure salary without a four year degree.

Mike and Elliot also share their own winding paths into manufacturing, from wire bonding microelectronics for space and defense projects to leading 600,000 square feet of manufacturing operations. This is part one of a two part conversation. Join us next episode as we continue the discussion with Mike and Elliot.

A Future in the Foundry: Wisconsin Precision Casting Corp. Teaches Anyone Who’s Ready to Cast

When Shannon Partick was 18, he applied for a job in the metal industry and was turned down.

Patrick grew up working with tools. He knew he could quickly learn the skills needed for the machine shop role he wanted, but the hiring manager told him he needed industry experience.

“He said, ‘Go out and get some experience and come back,’” Patrick remembered. “I asked him, ‘How am I supposed to get experience if nobody will hire me?’”

The manager didn’t have an answer.

“At that point, I said to myself, if I ever got into that position, I was never going to be that guy,” Patrick said. He’s been true to that promise.

Patrick worked his way up from the foundry floor to become plant manager and co-owner of Wisconsin Precision Casting Corporation, a precision investment casting manufacturer. Today, he does whatever he can to help metal workers get their start, including K-12 outreach and mentoring college students in the Cast in Steel competition.

Wisconsin Precision Casting Corporation produces investment castings in more than 180 alloys for industries ranging from agriculture and construction to medical equipment and food processing.

Lighting the Way to Metalcasting and Forging

When Patrick began his manufacturing career in the 1980s, U.S. steel employment had fallen 57% as foreign competition contributed to layoffs and plant closures. Jobs were scarce, and newcomers often struggled to find opportunities to learn skilled trades.

Now, manufacturers face a different challenge. By 2033, there could be almost 4 million manufacturing jobs available in the U.S., without enough workers to fill nearly half the positions. As the nation rebuilds its metal workforce, employers like Wisconsin Precision Casting are looking for applicants who are reliable and eager to join the foundry’s mission.

“If someone is willing to learn, if they’re open-minded about things, I can teach anybody how to be successful in this environment,” Patrick said.

METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and Cast in Steel provide students and entry-level workers more opportunities to gain hands-on metal manufacturing experience — before applying for a foundry job.

From immersive K–12 workshops to metallurgy bootcamps and paid apprenticeships, METAL introduces learners of all ages and backgrounds to metalcasting and forging. Cast in Steel challenges college engineering students to push their problem-solving skills by designing and casting a fully functional metal tool or weapon. Teams from across the country then come together to test their castings in a three-day competition.

Both METAL and Cast in Steel are supported through funding by the Department of War’s (DoW) Office of Industrial Base Policy, which manages investments made pursuant to the Industrial Base Fund (10 U.S.C. §4817), to accelerate the development of a highly skilled, self-sustaining U.S. workforce.

Watch new episodes of Cast in Steel on YouTube.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Zachary Plett, a mechanical and manufacturing engineering technology student at the University of Northern Iowa, realized he was in over his head when he signed up to compete in the 2026 Cast in Steel Horseman’s Axe Challenge.

Plett, 20, had learned sandcasting in his university’s foundry, but his team needed professional guidance to produce an axe strong enough for the competition’s performance tests. The students drove almost four hours to Wisconsin Precision Casting, hoping the foundry team could help bring their axe design to life.

Plett remarked it “blew my mind” when he saw the scale of the operation.

“The same guys are back and forth all day pouring, putting in different molds,” Plett said. “It was a really good experience because it opened my eyes to how big it all truly is.”

Michael Malek found a different path into the foundry. The 25-year-old product engineer accepted a job with Wisconsin Precision Casting right out of college. He knew he wanted a career in manufacturing but wasn’t sure how he could use his mechanical engineering degree to solve real industry problems.

“I didn’t know I was going to find my way to investment casting. That wasn’t necessarily covered,” Malek said about his college courses.

In Patrick’s experience, most engineers who apply to the foundry immediately after graduation are “very, very green” in investment casting.

“Very few universities offer investment casting, and when they do, everybody I’ve talked to said it’s maybe one chapter,” Patrick stated.

At Wisconsin Precision Casting, Malek began developing hands-on skills that built on his college education. Only two years into his role, Malek works directly with customers on part designs, optimizes mold production and maintains the foundry’s robot. The robot is central to the shell-building stage of investment casting. It coats injected wax parts in ceramic, creating shells that are later filled with molten metal to produce the final castings.

“Until you get into the field, you don’t know what skills you will need to sharpen,” Malek said. “Coming here has been really fun and interesting because you learn something new every single day. You’ll never be bored.”

METAL’s metallurgy bootcamps help bridge the gap between classrooms and metalcasting. For up to a week, students and career seekers get an in-depth look at industry design and simulation software, material compositions and pouring processes.

Anyone interested in learning metalcasting, forging or advanced manufacturing topics can start the experience with METAL’s free online training. After completing the required online training and earning a Credly badge, participants travel to one of METAL’s partner universities. There, leading metallurgists mentor them through their first casting pour.

“You walk into the foundry and watch metal being poured. You’re taking something that’s a liquid at 3,000 degrees, and you’re going to turn it into a solid shape,” Patrick said. “It’s cool.”

Whether it comes through a METAL course, Cast in Steel or an internship, Patrick believes any time spent in a professional foundry is invaluable. By working with the Wisconsin Precision Casting team, students learn about investment casting, foundry automation and the expectations they will face in the workplace.

“They learn about what your boss will ask you, which can be a tough lesson,” Patrick noted. “Sometimes you get that in the moment at work instead of as an intern or a college student.”

Wisconsin Precision Casting’s robot builds ceramic shells around wax patterns, preparing them to be filled with molten metal. Product engineer Michael Malek helps maintain and program the system, which he says has made the process safer and expanded the range of castings the foundry can produce.

What Do American Foundries Need Most?

Exposure.

Jose Duran, a supervisor at Wisconsin Precision Casting, has been with the company for more than 20 years. But until he applied for a job there, he didn’t know what a foundry was.

Interested in mechanics, Duran attended a technical school after high school and realized he didn’t want to turn his love for cars into a career. He decided to return home to Wisconsin to figure out his next move.

“I just had to get a job, and then I got this opportunity to see what a foundry was,” Duran said. “I never knew what a foundry was until I started working here. It was different from everything else.”

Duran accepted an entry-level role setting castings. He discovered life in the foundry wasn’t easy — it was interesting, exciting and hot — but he was up for every challenge it offered. Duran soon moved into a melter role, where he received extensive training in alloy chemistry from his teammates and supervisors. Like generations of foundry workers before him, Duran developed his skills on the job as experienced employees passed down their knowledge.

“It’s an industry where it’s fun. You learn from it. You get better at it. You don’t have to have a master’s or Ph.D. or anything. We’ll show you,” Duran said. “That’s how I came up. I worked through all these years and I got to the position where I’m at because I understood the job.”

More than two decades later, Duran has turned a skilled trade he didn’t know existed into a career with purpose.

Patrick believes more people might choose this career path if they learned about metalcasting sooner.

“To be honest with you, it should go back to junior high — the middle school levels of metal shops and the industrial arts, exposing kids to power tools and saws and drills,” Patrick said. “Show them you can make things and you can fix things.”

“When they started taking industrial arts out of the middle schools and even out of high schools, I think they did a disservice to this country,” he added.

Patrick does what he can to create those early experiences. He donates materials to local high schools, including 500 pounds of aluminum for one school’s sandcasting program, and provides foundry tours to interested student groups. He encourages teachers to reach out to see how they can introduce more young people to the possibilities of metal manufacturing.

“If I see excitement, I’m going to give you all the time that you desire,” Patrick said.

METAL also offers mini foundry experiences for K–12 students. Typically organized through partnerships between METAL’s university hubs and local schools, the workshops introduce students to metalcasting careers through fun, hands-on projects they can take home.

For metal workers, Wisconsin Precision Casting continues investing in employees after they’ve been hired through tuition reimbursement and a paid tool-and-die apprenticeship.

“I don’t know how we could make it any more attractive,” Patrick said.

He added, “we get to see all the different things we make that have an impact on somebody else’s life.”

Patrick never forgot how difficult it was to get his start in metal. Now, whether he’s welcoming a student tour, mentoring a Cast in Steel team or hiring someone new, he’s dedicated to giving the next generation their chance.

Ready to begin your metalcasting career? Start with METAL’s free online training, then visit our events page to find a hands-on bootcamp near you.

METAL on Base: Event Brings Hands-on Training to Service Members

Directives from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Secretary of the Army have emphasized the importance of expanding the defense industrial base and integrating advanced manufacturing. Failing to produce necessary components at home poses a severe risk to national defense. The Joint Advanced Manufacturing Symposium (JAMS) was held at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in early August to address these concerns. The event brought together military and civilian leaders, experts, and industry partners to address critical needs around advanced manufacturing and defense.

IACMI CTO Dr. Uday Vaidya provided an overview of IACMI’s work with composites in the defense sphere.

JAMS aimed to bridge the gap between component developers and the warfighters who use them. The symposium covered topics including accelerating innovation, enabling on-demand part production, improving operational readiness, and decreasing reliance on vulnerable, traditional supply chains.

The event featured a robust schedule of panel discussions, strategic briefings, and intensive, hands-on training workshops. Leaders from the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) spoke about the organization and its workforce programs, including the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeships and Learning (METAL) program.

METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was created to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in metalcasting and forging. Members of the 101st Airborne Battalion were able to participate in a METAL Bootcamp as part of the symposium.

Through K-12 workshops and university-led bootcamps METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants complete a free online training course before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts.

How IACMI is Supporting the American Warfighter

On Wednesday, August 5th, the symposium focused on advanced manufacturing training in the age of Industry 4.0. Dr. Uday Vaidya, Chief Technical Officer at IACMI, and Andrew Pokelwaldt, Director of Education and Workforce Programs, spoke about the institute and its programs.

Andrew Pokelwaldt speaks with a soldier while observing the JAMS training session.

Vaidya provided an overview of the organization, originally funded by the Department of Energy, and its work on both civilian and defense projects. He spotlighted technology used to craft braided beams for construction, composite battlefield tourniquets, training rounds used for tanks, and new helmet tech. In his role at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Vaidya also oversaw the METAL Bootcamp being offered to service members as part of JAMS.

During his presentation, Pokelwaldt, a Marine Corps veteran, underscored a stark reality facing the domestic manufacturing base and the military alike: “Ninety percent of durable manufacturing goods and critical manufacturing equipment is supported by these roles, and most of the time if anything is critical or involves precision, it’s going to take skilled engineers, skilled technicians, and skilled workers that can operate the equipment.”

He went on to note that even the most advanced equipment is rendered useless without a properly trained workforce. “A lot of the time it’s not the equipment, it’s the users. So if those people aren’t trained to deal with the advanced manufacturing equipment, that’s going to be a challenge, he said.”

Forging the New Workforce

Pokelwaldt detailed the success of the IACMI’s workforce programs:

America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) has impacted thousands over its five-year history. Combining free online courses with week-long, in-person bootcamps, ACE focuses on machining, composites, metrology, and advanced manufacturing. The goal is to get “people’s hands on that equipment,” said Pokelwaldt.

Pokelwaldt also highlighted the importance of the METAL program. “Casting and forging has been identified as an area that the United States does not have much capability compared to what it used to,” he explained. METAL is designed to bring domestic manufacturing back and increase existing capabilities in these vital areas. METAL is rapidly expanding nationwide to meet critical demand.

The presentation also addressed the long-term strategy for sustaining the manufacturing workforce. Pokelwaldt emphasized IACMI’s outreach efforts, recognizing that the “manufaturers of the future need early exposure to STEM concepts and basic manufacturing principles. “We start at a young age to give people basic manufacturing principles… and build all the way through,” he stated.

A surprising trend Pokelwaldt noted was that many intelligent and capable young adults entering these programs have never used basic hand tools. This lack of foundational experience makes hands-on training even more vital. “If they can’t even do that, they’ll struggle,” he said, referring to the basic mechanical adjustments often required on machinery.

By partnering with educational institutions and industry, IACMI is working to fill this pipeline, providing internships and apprenticeships that offer real-world experience. METAL’s upcoming K-12 mobile units are designed to generate interest in manufacturing early and give young people the hands-on experience many are missing.

A group of soldiers prepares sand molds during a training source.

Active duty service members participated in a METAL Bootcamp from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

The METAL Investment Casting Bootcamp

The strategic discussions at JAMS were paired with practical application. During the symposium, service members from the 101st Airborne and visiting Marines participated in intensive workshops at the HAMMER (Hub for Advanced Manufacturing, Metalworking, Engineering, and Repair) Training Site.

Among the offerings was a METAL Bootcamp led by Amy Wheelock and Thomas Drye from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The course provided trainees with a comprehensive understanding of how to move a custom design from concept to a finished metal piece.

The workshop curriculum was rigorous and highly practical:

A service member pours molten tin into a sand mold.

Bootcamp participants made designs using CAD, made sand molds, and poured molten metal.

Day 1: An introduction to the METAL program and investment casting, followed by CAD instruction and pattern modeling.

Day 2: A deep dive into 3D printing and injection molding. Trainees learned slicing techniques, observed injection molding demonstrations, and prepared their 3D printed patterns.

Day 3: Focus shifted to sand casting and simulation, including spruce patterns, the burnout process, and a demonstration of Skuld Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting (AMEC).

Day 4: The core activity, melting metal and performing the investment casting process, followed by retrieving and finishing the cast components.

Day 5: An essential introduction to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), where trainees performed ultrasound and dye penetrant testing on their finished parts to ensure quality and structural integrity.

The Future of Manufacturing at the Tactical Edge

JAMS highlighted the urgent need for agile, advanced manufacturing capabilities within the defense industrial base and on the battlefield. Programs like METAL are vital to ensuring that the nation’s warfighters and thenation’sindustrial base are prepared for the challenges of the future.

If you are interested in attending a METAL Bootcamp or want to learn more about a career in the foundry and forging industry, visit the METAL website today.

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