High-speed lightning photography, futuristic material science, cutting-edge manufacturing design, and extra-terrestrial coverups – Welcome to this expansive TLC episode, where we explore the limits of technological innovation in manufacturing. We had a full cast this week: joining me were Georgia Tech’s Dr. Tom Kurfess and Dr. “Cyber” Kyle Saleeby, Sandia Laboratory’s Dr. Lonnie Love and Jason Payne, AMT’s own MC Neville, and yours truly to discuss a galaxy of captivating topics. Starting the discussion, Radiofrequency engineer Jason Payne brought us some intense stories. His first job in high school was at New Mexico’s Langner Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, where they studied lightning behavior by firing rockets into thunderstorms. The decommissioned surface missiles were attached to 3000-foot metal cables, and Jason captured high-speed photographs of the lightning strikes that followed the conductive paths. During his shifts, Jason radioed between stations, conversing with a curious older man named Charlie Moore. Unknown to Jason at the time, he was talking to a top-ranking government scientist. During a get-together of grad students at Charlie’s home, Jason learned something unbelievable: Charlie was intimately involved, and maybe even caused the infamous 1947 Roswell alien crash site incident. I won’t spoil any more of the story, or if any alien bodies were recovered…you’ll have to listen in to find out. Regardless of origin, materials like super thin Mylar film were found at the crash site and were leagues ahead of their time. But were they really that alien? Materials once shrouded in secrecy at sites like Roswell are now integral to modern manufacturing processes. Take Inconel, for example. The nickel super-alloy was trademarked in the 1930s, but it’s taken nearly 90 years to become a staple in advanced manufacturing (learn more in my Inconel Lore article). Thanks to innovations like die-sinking/wire EDM, and metal powder-bed fusion processes, Inconel has escaped top-secret labs and is now one of the most popular and workable superalloys. Material manufacturing is only half the battle though. New conformal cooling and multi-material design techniques–only possible thanks to additive manufacturing and other modern processes–now offer unthinkable thermal performance. New aerospace engines grapple with temperatures exceeding even Inconel’s melting point of over 1260 °C, but advanced manufacturing plus smart design maximizes a material’s capabilities. If this sounds like science fiction, that’s because it is. It’s all thanks to leaps forward in manufacturing and the new designs they can accommodate. This doesn't just apply to material science: universal translators, autonomous vehicles, high-speed transportation, electric aviation, automated robotic agriculture—all of this is possible and in use, thanks to new tools. These innovations transform how we produce and interact with technology. Job shops today must embrace these tools to stay competitive, and then we need to train the next generations of engineers to innovate with them. The discoveries have been made, it’s now just a matter of application. It’s an incredibly exciting time. All these alien technologies and more will be at IMTS 2024, and we’re so excited to see what the industry is doing with them. Join us on September 10th at IMTS to see the real version of tools described by science fiction legends like Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Douglas Adams. And who knows…you might even see the aliens themselves (no promises—their schedules are packed.) For complete details, watch our video here.
In this TLC, we explore the intersection of Roswell’s alien origins and advanced manufacturing discoveries. Join our expert panel as they unveil how engineering innovation transforms how we do manufacturing, and what we can dream up.
Subscribe to Newsletters
Get the latest news from IMTS delivered to your inbox.