Impacts

NLR researchers are impacting innovations in advanced manufacturing.

Why We Support Advanced Manufacturing

NLR's Advanced Manufacturing Program is focused on developing robust supply chains, cutting-edge materials, and manufacturing processes to drive innovation.

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NLR is researching advanced manufacturing technologies such as power electronics, advanced membrane separations, and critical materials supply chains to help the United States lower the cost of domestic manufacturing and energy generation, particularly in energy-intensive industries such as steel and concrete, helping them remain globally competitive.

2025 Accomplishments

Projects with DOE

Projects with partners

Publications

Staff Honors: Our Team Is Excelling

Meet the team in the Manufacturing Masterminds staff profile series.

Congratulations on Recent Achievements

Abhishek Roy was named as American Chemical Society Fellow for 2026.

Donal Finegan, Barry Mather, Nicholas Rorrer, and Tim Silverman received the 2025 Distinguished Member of Research Staff award designation, which recognizes NLR research staff for overall expertise and highly impactful contributions to the mission of the laboratory. Tim Silverman also received the 2024 award.

Gilbert Moreno, Sreekant Narumanchi, Xuhui Feng, and Paul Paret, NLR's power electronics research group, earned a patent for multiple innovative strategies to cool vehicle power electronics.

Paul Paret received a Distinguished Achievement Certificate from the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society.

Pietro Bortolotti received the Wind Energy Science Outstanding Reviewer Award at the TORQUE 2024 Conference in Florence, Italy.

Shaun Onorato, along with Taichi Kuroki, Jamie Keeothers and other partners, received the Safety, Codes and Standards; Systems Development and Integration; and Hydrogen Infrastructure team award (U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program).

Samantha Reese, a senior engineer/analyst was named one of the women researchers at the forefront of crystal engineering (Crystal Growth and Design, 2023).

Mou Paul and Abhishek Roy, materials scientists, won an award for their work in more efficient global water purification.

"While I love the work that I do, what keeps me really excited about being here at NLR is I get to work with so many great people and teams. That's how we push things forward. It's not by working independently. It's by working together."

Taylor Uekert
Senior Researcher

"The lab's goal is to be the bridge between academia and industry, and I really liked that. I want the freedom to do really weird, cool new things but also the connection to industry so I can make an impact."

Paul Meyer
Researcher

What NLR Is Working On—Maybe With You

NLR's advanced manufacturing researchers are developing new technologies that lower the cost of manufacturing and energy generation while delivering innovation that drives economic growth, creates U.S. jobs, and brings the country closer to its energy and economic goals, including:

Critical minerals (such as designing integrated systems for resource extraction and developing and optimizing metallurgical processes)

Plastics and polymers (such as delivering scalable technologies that enable cost-effective recycling)

Supply chain manufacturing (such as tools to track the material and energy demands from manufacturing supply chains)

Water desalination (such as processes and tools to turn nontraditional source waters into drinking water).

NLR is also looking for industry engagement, input, and/or partnerships to advance copper removal technologies and membrane-based technologies.

Watch How NLR Is Advancing the Manufacturing Industry

View NLR's manufacturing playlist on YouTube.