NIOSH Announces Partnership with America Makes

MEDIA CONTACT: Nura Sadeghpour, uvg2@cdc.gov, 202.245.0673

Contributing to the advancement of safety practices in additive manufacturing

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announces a new partnership with America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, contributing to the innovative work of advancing knowledge and practice in additive manufacturing and 3D printing research.

NIOSH joins more than 220 member organizations working together to advance and disseminate understanding in a key technology for cutting edge American industry.  Additive manufacturing is the process of taking a design created in software or by a 3D object scanner and then using hardware to create that object out of various materials. America Makes, as a public-private consortium, serves as a “teaching factory” to build workforce skills at multiple levels, and to strengthen business capabilities in both large and small advanced manufacturing companies. NIOSH is particularly well-positioned to contribute to the emerging knowledge and guidance around workplace safety practices, for both employers and workers.

“We are pleased to enter into what promises to be a collaborative and creative partnership with America Makes,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “By working alongside industry, academia and other government partners, we can together leverage existing resources, collaborate, and co-invest to advance manufacturing innovation.”

Membership with America Makes will allow NIOSH the opportunity to increase collaboration in scientific research, discovery, innovation, education, and recommendations relating to workplace environment, safety, and health; thus, promoting the responsible development and deployment of advanced materials and technologies. Some of NIOSH’s current research is investigating potential respiratory health effects from exposure to emissions from additive manufacturing and 3D printing; including exposure to ultrafine particles, evaluating engineering controls, and providing good practice guidance to protect workers.

America Makes is a convener of additive manufacturing and 3D printing stakeholders, a coordinator of technical and workforce information and data, and an activation catalyst through high value, high difficulty, and high impact collaborative projects. For more information about America Makes visit https://www.americamakes.us/

NIOSH is the federal institute that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. For more information about NIOSH visit www.cdc.gov/niosh. For more information on the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Program, see here.