When Jonaaron Jones started his master’s degree at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UT), his mentor invited him to visit the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). “I saw a metal 3D-printed part for the first time,” says Jones. “I knew I was seeing the future—for industry and for me.”

During the next few years, Jones worked in the MDF alongside advanced manufacturing experts from UT and ORNL. His experiences there launched him on a career path in additive manufacturing for aviation, defense, and energy applications, first as founder of startup Volunteer Aerospace and now as part of Beehive Industries, a U.S.-based additive manufacturing company that specializes in the design and development of jet engines for defense applications as well as parts manufacturing. With Jones as president and general manager of its external parts business, Beehive continues to demonstrate what it means to partner with the MDF to drive technical and economic growth for the United States. 

Volunteers in action

Jones’ mentor, Suresh Babu, former UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair of Advanced Manufacturing, connected him to MDF experts and resources, as well as partners within the aerospace, defense, and energy industries. 

In 2015, Babu led UT and MDF researchers in a project with industry partner Aerojet Rocketdyne that was supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Production Act under the federal Title III cost-share program. Jones and other team members sought additive manufacturing solutions to aerospace supply-chain challenges, including long lead times and quality issues for cast parts.

Specifically, they set out to 3D-print aluminum parts for the RL10 liquid rocket engine manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Aluminum for additive manufacturing was still very low in technology readiness at that time, and they faced challenges from the start due to a lack of material and machine options.

“We essentially had to apply aluminum powder atomized for other applications, like automotive,” Jones says. “We learned that powder requirements were different. For example, we had to correct for moisture content.” 

The team also had to find a machine big enough to produce rocket parts. At that time, the largest on the market was Concept Laser’s X-Line 1000, intended for prototyping small automotive engine blocks. The team set up one of these machines in the MDF. 

“The rocket parts at least fit inside, but it wasn’t designed for the level of quality we needed,” Jones says. “I volunteered to take on making the machine usable for our project. I realized I had all the people and resources I needed at my fingertips. I worked with different groups around the lab to identify problems, solve them at the basic science level, apply the fixes, and test them. A company doing this on its own wouldn’t have had that advantage. After we worked on the machine and the material feedstock, the difference was night and day.”

At the end of the program, Aerojet Rocketdyne decided not to relocate this printer to its production facilities. Title III requirements, however, meant the equipment had to be used to develop the defense supply chain.

Jones and two soon-to-be business partners—his wife Rachel Cade Jones and ORNL colleague Devon Burkle—envisioned a solution. In 2016, they sought approval from all entities involved in the project to start their own business, Volunteer Aerospace. 

In 2017, they moved the X-Line 1000 printer out of the MDF into a facility 10 minutes away. Volunteer Aerospace soon added new employees, machines, and clients including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

“We became the industry leader in large aluminum parts,” Jones says. They also supported the MDF on material development and other ORNL teams on small yet complex projects, such as printing a distillation column for carbon capture. 

Volunteer Aerospace caught the attention of Beehive Industries. Beehive acquired Volunteer Aerospace in 2021 to support its vision of powering American defense by scaling its core capabilities, employee base, and resources. 

Additive manufacturing techniques enable the printing of intricate and efficient oil coolers for aerospace and defense applications. Credit: Beehive Industries

Catalyzing an ecosystem for success

“Ninety-eight percent of manufacturing happens at small and medium enterprises like Volunteer Aerospace,” says Craig Blue, ORNL chief manufacturing officer. “Bringing manufacturing to a region, developing supply chains, and commercializing new technologies are heavy lifts that one entity, no matter the size, can’t achieve alone. It takes an ecosystem.

“The MDF’s unique public-private partnership model is a catalyst for developing that ecosystem, and we are bringing small and medium companies into it so they can succeed more rapidly,” says Blue.

ORNL’s Ryan Dehoff, director of the MDF, says this ecosystem aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s mission. 

“It’s where industry, academia, and government come together to tackle big challenges across the entire supply chain, and where the workforce connects with training and experience,” Dehoff says. “Together, it’s a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts.” 

The nationwide network radiates out from a regional hub in East Tennessee, which lies within a day’s drive of 65% of the United States’ population—and roughly two-thirds of its manufacturing base. Within the ecosystem, MDF engages with more than 1,000 entities each year, including industry partners from every sector, as well as more than 50 universities, to drive scientific advancement, technology deployment, and economic growth. 

Blue says the evolution of Volunteer Aerospace “is an incredibly strong success story in the ecosystem, and it continues with Beehive Industries.”

Beehive Industries held a ribbon cutting for its new facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. From left: Emily McCall of U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty’s office; Doug Lawyer of the Knoxville Chamber; Robert Wagner, ORNL associate laboratory director; U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett; Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs; Jonaaron Jones, Beehive Industries; Gordie Follin, Beehive Industries; Shawn Morgan, Beehive Industries; Rachel Jones, Beehive Industries; Ryan Bocook, Beehive Industries; and Tennessee Sen. Becky Duncan Massey. Credit: Beehive Industries

Open for growth and employment

Since acquiring Volunteer Aerospace, Beehive has scaled up its presence in East Tennessee by opening a $4 million, 60,000-square-foot facility in Knox County in May 2024. 

“Proximity to the MDF was key for Volunteer Aerospace, and now for Beehive,” says Jones. “It’s still the first place we turn to talk through challenges. Recently, they’ve been a huge resource as we get more into machining additive manufactured parts.” 

“Being nearby also helps us collaborate with other companies in the ecosystem,” Jones adds. “When Boeing visits the MDF, for example, it’s simple to take the short drive to our new facility.”

The facility is producing and validating primary jet engine hardware components—and creating new high-technology jobs. Over time, Beehive expects local employment to exceed 150 people in roles related to manufacturing, engineering, and machining.

“We’re also thinking about how to train and integrate the next generation of professionals,” Jones says. To do that, Beehive is tapping into programs at UT, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, and other local institutions. The Beehive team is also excited about Pellissippi State Community College’s new aviation technology degree.

Looking to the future 

“In Beehive’s external parts business, it’s our job to stay on the cutting edge to serve the company and service our customers’ needs,” Jones says. For example, Beehive Industries has worked alongside the MDF in a long-term initiative to develop, test, and set up the supply chain for a next-generation aluminum alloy designed for aerospace applications. 

“The MDF gives us a window into the future, right next door,” Jones says. “We get to see what technologies are coming down the pike in five years and think now about how to integrate those into our products and processes.”

Beehive’s market segment—laser powder-bed printing for defense, aviation, and energy—has seen significant growth year over year. “We don’t see that stopping,” Jones says. “Additive manufacturing has become a standardized production offer, and work coming out of the MDF and ORNL has significantly influenced that. The more demand keeps growing, the more jobs we can continue creating.” 

“Jonaaron and Beehive are advancing the science while building the ecosystem,” Babu says. “We want to see even more companies and universities get involved in both, so that together, we can create more success stories and economic growth.”

The MDF, supported by U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, is a nationwide consortium of collaborators working with ORNL to innovate, inspire, and catalyze the transformation of U.S. manufacturing. Learn more about working with the MDF.

Published April 25, 2025, by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.