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HARRISBURG, PA – In September, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) once again hosted the Joint Defense Advanced Manufacturing Meeting for Innovation and Transition, better known as J-DAMMIT. Bringing together representatives from academia, government, defense, and industry, J-DAMMIT is one of the most exciting technology demonstration and networking conferences in America. J-DAMMIT featured three full days of programming focused on advanced manufacturing and material sciences that support national defense on the global stage.

Harrisburg University is extremely grateful for the support of our presenting sponsor, Phillips Corporation; our four-star sponsors AForgeARIS TechnologyASTRO America, and KVG; and all of our other sponsors who brought the event to life.

J-DAMMIT 2024 welcomed nearly 400 attendees and featured more than 25 technology demos, including – for the first time – a dozen hands-on stations featuring augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) demos, provided by HU’s eXtended Reality Taskforce. Hosted in the UPMC Health Sciences Tower at Harrisburg University, visitors toured HU’s advanced manufacturing labs and smart factories and interacted with representatives from startups, seasoned defense contractors, and thought leaders in fields like 3D scanning, additive manufacturing, digital simulation, laser welding, printed electronics, collaborative robots, and many more.

“This is the second year for J-DAMMIT, and we couldn’t be happier with how it’s grown and evolved,” said LJ Holmes, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials, better known as STORMWERX. We’re here to prove there are no limits when you bring together the best minds from diverse yet interconnected disciplines. The Harrisburg University and STORMWERX teams are extremely grateful for this year’s keynote speakers, sponsors, company representatives, and defense and technology innovators who came here to share their knowledge. Everybody learned a lot, including me – and we had a lot of fun while we did it! We can’t wait to make J-DAMMIT 2025 an even more awesome spectacle.”

Accolades for J-DAMMIT 2024

“This was a top-notch event hosted at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology – job well done, LJ Holmes and team!” said Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes. “It was great making many new connections and linking up with old friends, companies, and collaborators. Nothing forms a better bond than sparks flying from laser welding or the signature Additive-Karaoke! Plus, hands down, the best event swag! Loved my Hawaiian shirt and lanyard.”

Wayne Devereux, Chief Engineer and Development and Integration Program Manager for KBR, concurred. “LJ, you and your team put another great J-DAMMIT event together. What a lot of fun we all had learning and meeting. It is a great community pulling together for the warfighter.”

Bradley Fry, Manufacturing Engineer at CAES, added: “This week I had the opportunity to attend J-DAMMIT with CAES by Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. It was truly an eye-opening experience seeing the advanced manufacturing techniques that are available and currently under development, with everything from hybrid AM to handheld 3D scanners, to 3D printers you can kick without worry of breaking. I look forward to seeing all the upcoming developments in the AM field to come!”

“J-DAMMIT was so good the first year, we decided to jump on board for year two!” wrote Barnes Global Advisors in a LinkedIn post. “This insightful event brings together industry, government, and academia to discuss innovation in advanced manufacturing as it relates to our warfighting efforts. A unique aspect to this event is the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with various technologies and exploring practical applications for defense use cases.”

Visitor and Exhibitor Stories

NAVSEA – Corona Division

One of the groups in attendance was NAVSEA’s (Naval Sea Systems Command) Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division, based at Camp Pendleton in California. They were represented at J-DAMMIT by Jacob Lopez, Lead Manufacturing Technologist, and DeAnte’ Hearn, Engineer Team Lead. The two serve on the ESED (Electronics Systems Engineering Division) – a Department of Defense expeditionary team currently focused on reverse engineering and deploying advanced manufacturing technologies in the field on and on the frontlines.

“I train a lot of the warfighters in the field, shoulder to shoulder, to give them that next-level skillset,” said Jacob Lopez. “I’m really up to speed on new equipment, but to get some hands-on time is huge. At J-DAMMIT, you get to see details and ask questions that you can’t read about, with manufacturers who are here to talk about it.”

The work Jacob and DeAnte’ are involved with is heavily focused on applying emerging technologies to old and familiar problems.

“We had a CASREP [a “catastrophic repair” requiring an immediate solution] where the reverse osmosis pump on a battleship broke. They scanned it, sent it to me, and I made modifications to the model. I manipulated it so we could 3D print it, machine it, and get it back. Two of their three reverse osmosis pumps were down, but ships constantly need water – these pumps purify saltwater so it can be used aboard the ship. I’m proud to say this was the first CASREP metal-printing success story on the Pacific and the first time it’s ever been done.”

What previously took nine months and thousands of dollars using conventional technologies took just four months at a fraction of the cost, using these new 3D scanning and printing technologies. The methods showcased at J-DAMMIT have immediate, real-world applications – so long as there are specialists who understand how it works and can take their knowledge back and train their unit on its use.

“The warfighter needs that next-level training,” continued Jacob Lopez. “They need specialized people to show them how to use their equipment so they can take the machine they have and use it to their maximum capability. That’s the missing link. We have all this technology, but we need the warfighter to be trained up – because in a real-life situation, there can’t be any delay. Getting that knowledge out there is huge. J-DAMMIT, talking with people, knowing what’s coming down the line, it all ties together.”

DeAnte’ Hearn added, “The big thing here is the collaborative efforts and understanding that there are multiple groups of people with the same vision who want to go in the same direction. We’re finding solutions to problems that affect millions of people. Adding to that is making sure we can replicate that solution. What about the next problem and the next problem? If you can find a solution that checks all those boxes simultaneously and continuously, that is worth teaching. That’s something I took away from this experience at J-DAMMIT.”

Vitro3D

One of the younger companies represented at J-DAMMIT this year, Vitro3D got its start in 2020 at the University of Colorado Boulder business incubator. The company is focused on bringing novel techniques to market that improve upon even the most advanced additive manufacturing methods – some of which have already been branded as “traditional” to reflect the breakneck pace of innovation in this space.

Camila Uzcategui, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of Vitro3D, came to J-DAMMIT to demonstrate Vitro3D’s parallax manufacturing technology.

“Parallax is a type of volumetric additive that allows us to make the entire part all at once. It’s a photopolymer-based approach that’s about 100 times faster than traditional additive. The applications include electronic components and connectors. One of the things we manufactured at J-DAMMIT today is a connector body that was made in only three minutes and can be built around existing structures. That’s one of the big advantages of our technology – we can take an existing structure, whether it’s metal or another substrate, and build around it in a volumetric fashion.

“We’re trying to understand what kind of opportunities are out there, and it’s been great to meet people from all the different industries that connect. Every question has been interesting and encouraged us to think about new applications we can focus our technology on, and the next steps for our company.”

Student Research Showcases

J-DAMMIT 2024 also featured student research poster sessions showcasing the latest ways in which academics directly fuels advancements and success in manufacturing and defense.

Sweta Baruah is a postdoctoral researcher associate at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, representing the Machine Tool Research Center. “My work is on additive friction stir deposition,” she said. “It’s a new solid-state additive manufacturing process that uses frictional forces to deform metal and print them layer by later. My particular interest is the sustainability aspect. Machine shops generate a lot of waste from milling, drilling, turning, you name it. We’ve created an in-house chip compactor that creates feedstock material from waste generated by machining processes – such as aluminum can manufacturing.”

Jake Dvorak is also a postdoctoral researcher from UT Knoxville. Like Sweta, this was his first time attending J-DAMMIT.

“We do a lot of research in manufacturing – specifically hybrid manufacturing,” Jake said. “We’re interested in what’s called sequential hybrid manufacturing, where we use a separate additive and subtractive machine tool and combine them with structured light 3D scanning. My dissertation focused on how we can start to implement that process in various industries moving forward.”

Representing Harrisburg University at the poster sessions was Advanced Manufacturing major KadijatuJohnson ‘25.

“My project is on Factory I/O, which are factory simulations, or digital twins, that you can go into and create whatever it is that you want. Using Factory I/O can be cost effective for companies and reduces accidents in the workplace. If something breaks down, it takes a lot of time and money to get it fixed. But with Factory I/O, we’re able to do testing and debugging; after you create your code, and an error is detected, you’re able to fix it without investing money in changing the physical factory, which could cost thousands or even millions of dollars.”

Stay Tuned for More J-DAMMIT in 2025

Harrisburg University would like to thank everybody who attended J-DAMMIT 2024 and each of the incredible sponsors who brought the event to life. We couldn’t do this without you! Be sure to keep your eyes on HarrisburgU.edu for news and details about J-DAMMIT 2025 as soon as they become available.

ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY

Harrisburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. For additional information about the University’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on XLinkedInInstagram, and Facebook.