Craig A Blue
Defense Manufacturing Program Director
Bio
Dr. Craig Blue is the Defense Manufacturing Program Director for the National Security Science Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL’s Advanced Manufacturing Program capitalizes on ORNL’s world-class user facilities such as the Spallation Neutron Source, Center for Nanophase Materials Science, Building Technologies Research and Integration Center, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF), Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), and the National Transportation and Research Center. The Advanced Manufacturing Program played key roles in the initiation and support of both the MDF and CFTF
Craig's pioneering spirit brings a rich background as both a researcher and scientific leader driving a manufacturing vision for over two decades. He was the founding director of the MDF and the founding CEO of the Composites Institute, IACMI. Most recently he initiated a national machine tool program, America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), to drive the revitalization of the machine tool industry in the US. He has more than 25 years of experience in conducting research in materials and manufacturing technologies, has authored approximately 100 open literature publications, holds 23 U.S. patents, and has received numerous awards including 11 R&D 100 Awards. He has served by invitation on numerous scientific and technical review panels, committees, and convocations convened by the National Science Foundation, the Council on Competitiveness, Manufacturing USA, and National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. He is a Battelle Distinguished Inventor, Fellow of ASM International, Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and has held adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Tennessee, University of North Texas, and the Colorado School of Mines.
In his most recent role, Craig served as the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, an Institute within the White House Manufacturing USA initiative comprising of a public-private partnership to increase domestic production capacity, grow manufacturing, and create jobs across the US composite industry with more than 150 members. Most recently, Craig was selected by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as one of the “25 leaders transforming manufacturing”.
Awards
2015 UT-Battelle Distinguished Inventor for more than 14 career patents.
2014 UT Battelle Awards Night, Excellence in Science and Technology Transfer for the development of Big Area Additive Manufacturing.
2014 UT Battelle Awards Night, Director’s Award for Outstanding Team Accomplishment, for the development of Big Area Additive Manufacturing.
2014 Technology Commercialization Award in recognition of successful commercial license of an invention or software.
2013 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for Pulse Thermal Processing a technology for thermally processing thin film structures, allowing high-temperature processing on low-cost and temperature-sensitive substrates, such as plastics.
2012 UT Battelle Awards Night, Engineering Research and Development Award for exceptional R&D engineering accomplishments resulting in the establishment of unique, world-leading capabilities for demonstrating and facilitating implementation of alternative carbon fiber production technologies, thereby saving energy and promoting economic development.
2011 UT Battelle Awards Night, Team Exceptional Community Outreach Award for outstanding dedication in the mentoring of young people, through a complex engineering challenge, to be science and technology leaders.
2011 UT Battelle Awards Night, Excellence in Technology Transfer for development and licensing of AFA steels, a revolutionary new class of heat-resistant steels for higher-efficiency energy production and chemical process industry applications.
2010 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Industrial Partnerships Award for Outstanding Leadership of the Carbon Fiber Program.
2010 Gordon Battelle Prize for Technology Impact, “Low-cost Carbon Fiber and Composites.”
2009 Selected by the Board of Trustees of American Society of Metals International as a Fellow of the Society
2008 Selected to serve on the Review Panel at National Science Foundation, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Washington, D.C.
2007 Selected to serve on an Office of the Secretary of Defense Title Three review committee for a significant, $100 million investment in low-cost titanium.
2007 Selected to serve on the Review Panel at National Science Foundation, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Washington, D.C.
Patents
C.E. Duty, C.J.C. Bennett, J.W. Moon, T.J. Phelps, C.A. Blue, Q. Dai, M.Z. Hu, I.N. Ivanov, G.E. Jellison, Jr., L.J. Love, R.D. Ott, C.M Parish, S. Walker, “Methods for Producing Complex Films, and Films Produced Thereby,” U.S. Patent 9,196,760, November 24, 2015.
R.R. Dehoff, C.A. Blue, W.H. Peter, W. Chen, L.F. Aprigliano, “Nano-Composite Stainless Steel,” U.S. Patent, 9,080,229 B2, July 14, 2015.
C. Daniel, C.A. Blue, R.Ott, “High throughput parallel backside contacting and periodic texturing for high-efficiency solar cells,” U.S. Patent 8,809,110, August 19, 2014.
C.A. Blue, A. Clemens, C.E. Duty, D.C. Harper, R.D. Ott, J.D. Rivard, C.S. Murray, S.L. Murray, A.R. Klein, “High volume method of making low-cost, lightweight solar materials,” U.S. Patent 8,778,724, July 15, 2014.
J.C. Farmer, F.M.G. Wong, J.J. Haslam, N. Yang, E.J. Lavernia, C.A. Blue, O.A. Graeve, R. Bayles, J.H. Perepezko, L. Kaufman, J. Schoenung, L. Ajdelstajn, “Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals and Methods of Forming Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals,” U.S. Patent No. 8,778,459 B2, July 15, 2014 and U.S. Patent No. 7,618,500, November 17, 2009.
C.A. Blue, F. Wong, L.E. Aprigliano, P.G. Engleman, W.H. Peter, T.G. Rozgonyi, L. Ozdemir, “In-Situ Composite Formation of Damage Tolerant Coatings Utilizing Laser,” U.S. Patent No. 7,939,142, March 18, 2014.
J.C. Farmer, F.M.G. Wong, J.J. Haslam, X.J. Ji, S.D. Day, C.A. Blue, J.D. Rivard, L.F. Aprigliano, L.K. Kohler, R. Bayles, E.J. Lemieux, N. Yang, J.H. Perepezko, L. Kaufman, A. Heuer, E.J. Lavernia, “Compositions of corrosion-resistant Fe-based amorphous metals suitable for producing thermal spray coatings, “ U.S. Patent 8,524,053, September 3, 2013 and U.S. Patent 8,480,864, July 9,2013.
C.A. Blue, A. Goyal, “Composite Biaxially Textured Substrates using Ultrasonic Consolidation” U.S. Patent No. 8,424,745, April 23, 2013 and U.S. Patent No. 8,210,420, July 3, 2012.
C.A. Blue, F. Wong, L.F. Aprigliano, P.G. Engleman, W.H. Peter, T.G. Rozgonyi, L. Ozdemir, “In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser,” U.S. Patent 7,939,142, May 10, 2011.
J.T. Simpson, C.A. Blue, J.O. Kiggans, Jr., “Article Coated with Flash Bonded Superhydrophobic Particles,” U.S. Patent No. 7,754,279, July 13, 2010.
M. Howard, C.A. Blue, “Process of Preparing Metal Parts to be Heated by Means of Infrared Radiance,” U.S. Patent No. 7,544,256, June 9, 2009.
R.D. Ott, C.A. Blue, N.J. Dudney, D.C. Harper, “Pulse Thermal Processing of Functional Materials,” U.S. Patent No. 7,220, 936, May 22, 2007.
V.K. Sikka, C.A. Blue, E.K. Ohriner, “Rapid Infrared Heating of a Surface,” U.S. Patent No. 6,667,111, December 23, 2003 and U.S. Patent No. 6,437,292, August 20, 2002 and U.S. Patent No. 6,432,555, August 13, 2002.
C.A. Blue, V.K. Sikka, E.K. Ohriner, “Method of High-Density Foil Fabrication,” U.S. Patent No. 6,663,826, December 16, 2003.
E.K. Ohriner C.A. Blue, “Method of Fabricating a Homogeneous Wire of Inter-Metallic Alloy,” U.S. Patent No. 6,238,498, May 29, 2001.
N.R. Quick, T. Li, R. Malanga, V.K. Sikka, C.A. Blue, “Apparatus and Method for Sealing Fluid Filter by Infrared Heating,” U.S. Patent No. 6,180,909, January 30, 2001.
V.K. Sikka, C.A. Blue, E.K. Ohriner, “Rapid infrared heating of a surface,” U.S. Patent No. 6,174,388, January 16, 2001.
D.E. Holcomb, S. Viswanathan, C.A.Blue, J.B. Wilgen “Material forming using a directed droplet stream,” U.S. Patent No. 6,027,699, February 22, 2000.
V.K. Sikka, G.G. Whitson, C.A. Blue, “Method of using infrared radiation for assembling a first component with a second component,” U.S. Patent No. 6,002,110, December 14, 1999.
Publications
Journal: Additive Manufacturing
Journal: CAMX Conference Proceedings
Journal: SAE Technical Paper Series