In our August recap:
- Tech Showcase
- ASTRO in the News
- ASTRO in Action
- ASTRO Spotlight
- Upcoming Events
2nd Annual ASTRO-InSPIRE Tech Showcase ⚙️
ASTRO America and Florida State University’s InSPIRE hosted the 2nd Annual ASTRO-InSPIRE Tech Showcase on August 12 at the Emerald Grande in Destin, Florida. 
This year’s “Shark Tank-style” competition focused on Distortion Prediction & Compensation in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), one of the key technical challenges standing between additive manufacturing and broader production use. The showcase brought together advanced manufacturing leaders, technical evaluators, solution providers, public officials, and industry stakeholders to review competing approaches and explore how better distortion prediction can make additive manufacturing more reliable, repeatable, and production-ready.
The event opened with keynote remarks from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, who highlighted Northwest Florida’s growing role as a national hub for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. Leaders from ASTRO America, FSU InSPIRE, Florida State University Research, Triumph Gulf Coast, and Florida’s Great Northwest also joined the program.
Congratulations to Oqton, which was named the winner of this year’s Tech Showcase. Competitors included Ansys, Siemens Simcenter, Dassault Systèmes, Autodesk, and Cadence.
The showcase reflects ASTRO and FSU InSPIRE’s broader effort to help move advanced manufacturing technologies from research and demonstration into practical, production-ready applications. By focusing on distortion prediction and compensation, this year’s challenge targeted a problem that directly affects part accuracy, repeatability, cost, and qualification pathways for aerospace, defense, and other critical industries.
Read the full release here.
Watch WMBB News13’s coverage of the showcase below. ⤵️
ASTRO in the News 📰
The showcase earned media attention following a successful day in Destin, where ASTRO and FSU InSPIRE convened advanced manufacturing leaders, technical evaluators, solution providers, public officials, and industry stakeholders for a “Shark Tank-style” competition focused on production-ready additive manufacturing.
Coverage highlighted Oqton’s win, Rep. Jimmy Patronis’ keynote remarks, and Northwest Florida’s growing role as a hub for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing.
Reporters also spotlighted the showcase’s focus on distortion prediction and compensation in laser powder bed fusion, a key technical challenge in making additive manufacturing more reliable, repeatable, and scalable.
Coverage included:
Following the Pacific Daily News‘ spotlight we highlighted last month, recent on-island coverage continued to spotlight ASTRO’s Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA), including its path toward full operating capacity by February 2027:
ASTRO in Action 🎤
GAMMA Director and General Manager Alex Benham was invited to speak during CODEL Walberg, a congressional visit to Guam led by members of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
During the discussion, Benham highlighted the Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator’s role in building advanced manufacturing capability on-island. His remarks focused on the connection between defense readiness, workforce development, and long-term industrial capacity in Guam.
The congressional delegation traveled to Guam last month for a discussion on issues ranging from school infrastructure to workforce development and employment opportunities. The visit was hosted by Guam Del. James Moylan, with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio also in attendance.
GAMMA Director and General Manager Alex Benham (right) with Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero (center) and Dr. Lee Yudin (left). Source: Office of the Governor of Guam
“Too often, decisions that affect Guam are made thousands of miles away without the benefit of hearing directly from our local community, and while I make it a point to bring Guam’s story to Washington in every conversation, there is no substitute for seeing our island firsthand and hearing directly from our people,” Moylan said.
For GAMMA, the CODEL was an important opportunity to explain why advanced manufacturing in Guam is not simply about installing equipment or introducing new technology. The initiative is designed to bring together production, testing and qualification, and workforce training so Guam can support point-of-need sustainment for the Navy and DoD while also building technical skills and broader industrial capacity locally.
Read The Guam Daily Post‘s recap of the CODEL here.
Check out Kandit News‘ video recap of the CODEL here.
ASTRO Spotlight 🎤
In the August issue of InSPIRE Quarterly, FSU’s Partner Highlight features ASTRO’s Alex Riensche, Advanced Manufacturing Scientist, who specializes in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) research and played an instrumental role in leading last month’s ASTRO-InSPIRE Tech Showcase.
Get to know Alex better here.
Upcoming Events 🗓️