The AIChE's RAPID Manufacturing Institute officially launched on Monday, March 27, with multiple events including a keynote speech on process intensification given by Mark Johnson, Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
After his presentation, Mark sat down with RAPID CEO Karen Fletcher to chat about it. Mark spoke about the "the triple bottom line," referring to possible gains in three areas: in the economic bottom line, in energy efficiency, and in energy productivity. Plus, when successful, the three can lead to greater environmental stewardship.
He also talked about how manufacturing institutes like RAPID can be successful, giving some specific success stories including a team who developed a process to 3D-print a sports car and a team that worked on advanced semiconductors. He also stressed the importance of the human resource — partnership, collaboration, and communication to solve R&D challenges.