Future Foundries to transform US additive manufacturing

Five months, 40 researchers — that’s all it took for the cutting-edge innovators at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create Future Foundries, a groundbreaking platform transforming additive manufacturing.

Future Foundries integrates wire-arc additive manufacturing, heat treatment, inspection and machining systems into a unified platform, seamlessly connected by a pallet changer that autonomously moves components between processes. By running workflows concurrently, the platform achieves remarkable efficiency, cutting production cycles by up to 68%. Its diverse capabilities tackle critical industry challenges, such as lengthy lead times and high customization demands, making it particularly valuable for applications in energy and national security. Designed to overcome the limitations of both traditional and modern systems, Future Foundries sets a new benchmark for high-variety, low-volume manufacturing excellence.

R&D World named the technology a 2025 R&D 100 Award winner — often called “the Oscars of Innovation.”

“Future Foundries represents a new way of thinking about manufacturing: not as a collection of isolated processes, but as an interconnected, adaptive system,” said Thomas Feldhausen, R&D staff member in ORNL’s Disruptive Manufacturing Systems Development Group and principal investigator. “By bringing additive, machining and other critical steps together into a single, flexible platform, we’re reducing lead times, cutting costs and expanding what’s possible for U.S. industry. Most importantly, we’re giving manufacturers, from small shops to large enterprises, the tools they need to compete globally and strengthen our domestic supply chain.”

Modular design equals unprecedented flexibility

The modular design of Future Foundries emphasizes adaptability, allowing the platform to evolve in tandem with market demands. The design allows manufacturers to reduce capital equipment costs by leveraging existing equipment and processes. Adopters can use their own equipment, tailored to their needs and preferences.

Each module is a self-contained unit that houses a single manufacturing process, equipped with its own utilities and networking. This design enables easy modifications or removals with minimal disruption to the overall platform. Modules can be added, exchanged or updated as industry needs shift. This flexibility is essential for maintaining relevance and operational effectiveness within a rapidly advancing technological landscape.

This unprecedented flexibility minimizes entry barriers for small- and medium-sized manufacturing operations, allowing them to increase productivity and competitiveness.

How does it work?

Future Foundries is designed with flexibility in mind, enabling the integration of virtually any discrete manufacturing process.

By consolidating the entire manufacturing workflow onto a single platform, Future Foundries minimizes the need for operator intervention, reducing errors and streamlining operations. This innovation simplifies complex manufacturing tasks, making advanced manufacturing more accessible and less intimidating.

Central to this streamlined approach is a smart manufacturing thread — an end-to-end data backbone unifying the platform. This thread facilitates seamless communication between robotic systems and delivers real-time operator insights that support on-the-fly adjustments and enable continuous optimization.

Building resilient, domestic supply chains

Over the past two decades, the U.S. has seen a 40% decline in domestic casting — mold-based forming — with much of the production moving to overseas facilities. Future Foundries presents a transformative solution to bolster existing U.S. casting capabilities, paving the way for increased domestic production of vital components.

“Democratizing manufacturing will be critical to maintaining the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers,” said ORNL Chief Manufacturing Officer Craig Blue. “Future Foundries is a significant step toward realizing this vision. It has the potential to enable the expansion of domestic supply chains by enabling small companies to have significant impact in a broader range of products.”

The development of this technology was led by Thomas Feldhausen, Brian Post, Kenton Fillingim, Paritosh Mhatre, Joshua Vaughan, Alex Roschli and Lauren Heinrich from ORNL, and Wade Anderson, Sean Steward, Gary Snow and Jim King from Okuma America Corporation. Additional key ORNL contributors include John Potter, Cameron Adkins, Ashley Gannon, Michael Mcalister, Matthew Sallas, Brandon Duty, Steven Guzorek, Ryan Ogle, James Haley, Jeremy Malmstead, Callan Herberger, Stephen DeWitt, Ryan Dehoff, Craig Blue and William Peter.

This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, or AMMTO, and the Department of Defense Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program.

The Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, supported by AMMTO, is a nationwide consortium of collaborators working with ORNL to innovate, inspire and catalyze the transformation of U.S. manufacturing.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. — Tina M. Johnson