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. 

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