SME and America Makes Announce Colocation of TRX Event!

SME, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing manufacturing technologies, and America Makes, the public-private partnership for additive manufacturing (AM) technology, have strengthened their long-term collaboration by announcing the colocation of America Makes’ Spring Technical Review and Exchange (TRX) event with RAPID + TCT 2025. This event is the largest additive manufacturing and 3D-printing conference in North America, produced in partnership with Rapid News Group. The colocated events will take place from April 8-10, 2025, in Detroit, gathering industry leaders to explore and drive forward next-generation AM technologies.

Founded in 2012 as the Department of Defense’s (DoD) national manufacturing innovation institute for AM, America Makes has been an active partner at RAPID + TCT since 2013. The colocation of the SAE International’s World Congress Experience (WCX) and SME’s AeroDef Manufacturing event alongside RAPID + TCT ensures that participants gain comprehensive insights into AM’s successful use cases across multiple sectors, including aerospace, defense, mobility, and consumer goods.

The alignment of these events comes at a crucial time as the DoD continues to prioritize AM technologies across the defense sector. Michigan’s strong defense industry, responsible for $30 billion in economic activity and more than 166,000 jobs, will benefit from the shared focus of these colocated events. With nearly 4,000 businesses in the state serving defense, aerospace, and homeland security industries, the TRX and RAPID + TCT 2025 will offer invaluable opportunities for cross-sector innovation and collaboration in the AM field.