Prez Talk

[Rick Rowlands]

No it doesn't have the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.  Just like any other manufacturing process it will have its place in the overall mix.  To state otherwise is to be disingenuous.   

[Towntalk]

During his fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Barack Obama mentioned Youngstown during a portion of his speech dealing with making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.

The president specifically mentioned the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in downtown Youngstown.

"Last year we created our first manufacturing inovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering the 3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything," President Obama said.

The President then went on to announce that he's going to launch three more of these hubs elsewhere around the country and asked Congress to help create a network of 15 more hubs.

Some $30 million in federal dollars and $40 million more from a consortium of members, including Youngstown State University, is funding the additive manufacturing initiative, also known as 3-D printing.

In his speech, President Obama also addressed wages, education, troop withdrawal, the deficit, guns and immigration.