Craig Blue

Bio

Craig Blue is the Chief Manufacturing Officer for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this role, he works to enhance coordination of ORNL’s resources and capabilities across several directorates in support of defense and related manufacturing activities designed to promote US competitiveness and economic advantage. Blue also serves as Defense Manufacturing Program Director for the National Security Science Directorate at ORNL.  

Blue is a visionary leader and team builder with a 25-year record of success in creating and building applied research and development teams and programs in materials, manufacturing, energy, and national security at ORNL. Blue has initiated, led, or programatically enabled 10 major initiatives, hubs, and institutes that leverage ORNL’s basic and applied capabilities to address US materials and manufacturing challenges. 

Blue was the founding director of the U.S. Department of Energy Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL and the founding CEO of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). IACMI was originally a $260M institute and was recently renewed for another 5 years within the White House Manufacturing USA initiative. IACMI is a public-private partnership focused on increasing domestic production capacity, growing manufacturing, and creating jobs across the United States composite industry with approximately 130 members.

Blue has three decades of experience in conducting research in materials and manufacturing technologies, has authored approximately 100 open-literature publications, holds 28 US 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, the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, and testified at the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Advanced Manufacturing.

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, Knoxville, the University of North Texas, and the Colorado School of Mines, and was selected by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as one of the “25 leaders transforming manufacturing.”

Most recently, Blue enable three large DOD initiatives: a national machine tool program, America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), to drive the revitalization of the nation’s machine tool industry, a national hypersonics thermal protection systems program to lower manufacturing costs, and a large castings and forgings replacement program.

Professional Experience

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Chief Manufacturing Officer, ORNL (2024–present)
• Defense Manufacturing Program Director, National Security Sciences Directorate (NSSD), ORNL (2022–present)
  • Developed a national Machine Tool Program ($10M/year), America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), a national Thermal Protection Program ($65M), and a Castings and Forgings Replacement Program ($10M/year).
• Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), Energy and Engineering Sciences Directorate, ORNL (2019-2022)
  • Grew the Industrial Technologies Program from $4M to a peak of $85M as the Advanced Manufacturing Program.
• Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Programs, ORNL (2016-2019)
  • Grew the program from $126M in 2016 to $163M in 2019.
• Founding Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Knoxville, TN (2015–2016)
  • Organized a national vision for composites, identified partner universities and states, created the organizational structure ($260M).
• Founding Director, Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), Energy and Engineering Sciences Directorate, ORNL (2012-2015)
  • Created a vision for a unique public-private-partnership, the MDF; worked with DARPA and DOE, ITP to realize support and captured the initial program at $30M. The MDF is now funded at $20M/year and is internationally recognized.
• Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), Energy and Engineering Sciences Directorate (EESD), ORNL (2008–2015)
  • Revitalized the ITP at ORNL through focusing ORNL strengths in science and coupling them with applications. Grew the program from $4M to approximately $50M.
• Associated Faculty, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, College of Engineering (2016–2019)
• Joint Faculty Professor, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2013–Present)
• Visiting Professor, Colorado School of Mines (2008–2012)
• Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) Manager, Materials Science and Technology Division (MSTD), ORNL (2008)
• Deputy Division Director of Technology, MSTD, ORNL (2006–2008)
  • Merged Condensed Matter Physics Division with the Metals and Ceramics Division. Truly integrated science and engineering and grew the research portfolio in key areas, such as, energy storage and advanced manufacturing, including additive manufacturing.
• Distinguished R&D Staff Scientist, Materials Processing Group Leader, ORNL (2004–2008)
• Established ORNL as a manufacturing leader by developing the vision for advanced materials and manufacturing, which ultimately became the MDF.
• Senior Research and Development Staff, ORNL (2001–2004)
  • Developed infrared, laser, and transient processing technologies an established an Infrared Processing Center.
• Post Doctorate Fellow, ORNL (1995–1997)
  • Developed ORNL’s first Additive Manufacturing Machine and Infrared Processing capability.
• Graduate Researchers Fellow, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (1993–1995)
• Graduate Researcher, the University of Cincinnati (1990–1994)

Awards

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

2022    Society of Manufacturing Engineers, one of the “25 Leaders
Transforming Manufacturing.”
2021    R&D 100 Award, Silver Award in the Special Recognition: Battling COVID-19
            Domestic Supply Chain of Filter Media and Face Masks.
2021    FLC ORNL’s Securing Domestic Production of N95 Masks During Coronavirus Pandemic
2020    FLC ORNL’s Co-development and Licensing of Large Area Reactive Polymer Additive
2019    Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
2018   FLC ORNL’s Co-development and Licensing of Large Area Additive Manufacturing
            Technologies
2016    JEC World 2016 Top Global Innovation Award for composite innovations through Big Area Additive Manufacturing developed by Cincinnati Incorporated, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Dassault Systems.
2015    CAMX Combined Strength Award for Big Area Additive Manufacturing technology developed by Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
2015    UT-Battelle Distinguished Inventor for more than 14 career patents.
2014    UT-Battelle Excellence in Science and Technology Transfer for the development of Big Area Additive Manufacturing.
2014    UT-Battelle 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 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 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 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.
2006    Convocation of “Rising Above the Gathering Storm:  Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities for a Brighter Economic Future”, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, September 2006.
2006    Selected to serve on the Review Panel at National Science Foundation (NSF), Washington, D.C.
2006    Convocation of “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Materials and Manufacturing Processes”, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, December 2006.
2005    Selected to serve on the Technology Advisory Panel Review Materials for the Next Generation Manufacturing Technology Initiative, January 24, 2005.
2004    National Academy of Engineering award winner. Participant in the 2004 Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, November 4-6, 2004, in Keihanna, Japan.
2003    National Academy of Engineering’s Ninth Annual Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering Participant, Irvine, California, September 18, 2003.
2003    Selected Distinguished Engineer for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Managed by UT-Battelle.
2002    Selected to serve on the National Space and Missile Symposium Steering Committee.
2001    Federal Laboratory Consortium Award of Excellence in Technology Transfer for “Polymer Boot Heater to Improve Vehicle Assembly-Line Ergonomics and Production”.
2000    UT-Battelle Technical Achievement Award for the development of the Infrared Processing Center.
1999    American Museum of Science & Energy Foundation for Technical Achievement in Polymer Infrared Heating.
1998    International Hall of Fame’s Technical Achievement Award for Advanced Infrared Processing.

Education

EDUCATION

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
PhD, Materials Science and Engineering (1994). Thesis: “Structures and Properties of Titanium Matrix Composite Joints”

Professional Service

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

•    Co-chair workshop “Engineering the Future of Distributed Manufacturing” March 30-31, 2023, with Booze Allen Hamilton ERVA, Engineering Research Visioning Alliance.
•    Invited Panelist, Emerging Technologies, and Things to Watch, 2022 Better Buildings Summit, May 17-19, 2022.
•    Congressional Briefing on De-Constructing 3D Printing, Sept. 25, 2019
•    Invited Speaker MIT-Stanford Game Changers Symposium, The Hoover Institute Johnson Center, Sept. 11th, 2018.
•    Briefed the White House on finding on US Machine Tool base in response Presidential Report Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resilience of the United States in response to Executive Order EO13806, 2018.
•    Invited Speaker, Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council “Opportunities in Energy 2017” fireside chat with University of Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport.
•    Invited Speaker, Innovation Crossroads/Composites Strategy Meeting, 2017.
•    Invited Participant, Mobile Fluid Power Workshop, 2017.
•    Invited Participant, Department of Energy Clean Water Workshop – Advance Materials, 2017
•    Hosted Michigan Economic Development Council Workshop to develop collaboration with Vehicle Technologies Program.
•    Member Advanced Manufacturing Panel, Eisenhower School Student End-of-Course Brief, National Defense University, 2017.
•    Organizer of NAVSEA Workshop between Carderock and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 2017.
•    Moderator, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Panel at DOE National Lab Day at the University of Arkansas 2017.
•    Invited Speaker, 2016 American Energy & Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit
•    Testified at the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Advanced Manufacturing
•    Member, William Hunt Eisenman Selection Committee, American Society for Metals International
•    Member, Sandia National Laboratory External Advisory Board for Born Qualified Grand Challenge Laboratory Directed Research and Development
•    Editorial Board, International Journal of Additive and Subtractive Materials Manufacturing Journal
•    Invited speaker at Cummins Science and Technology Board of Directors: Additive Manufacturing: Will it Impact the Energy Industry?
•    Invited speaker at Youngstown State University, Sustainable Energy Forum: Innovations in Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies
•    Invited speaker at Alstom Conseil Strategique: Additive Manufacturing: Will it Impact the Energy Industry?
•    Served on the Tennessee Valley Corridor Panel, Advanced Manufacturing
•    Served on The Wright Dialogue with Industry Panel: Additive Manufacturing a Key Technology Enhancing Affordability & Sustainment of Current and Future Weapon Systems
•    Member of the American Society of Metals Fellow Committee
•    Invited speaker at the Additive Manufacturing Technology Conference at Penn State: ORNL’s Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
•    Served on the Technology Panel for the Symposium for Additive Manufacturing
•    Served on the Aviation Week Executive Roundtable Advisory Board: Advanced Manufacturing
•    Participated in the Eighth Annual Aviation Week Executive Roundtable
•    Served on the Advanced Materials and Processing Editorial Committee, an American Society of Metals International Publication.
•    Served on an Integrated Product Team addressing the feasibility of DoD investment in a low-cost titanium project.
•    Participated in a two and a half-day workshop in Arlington, Virginia, focusing on where larger investments in fundamental research would likely yield the best return in enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. science and technology-based industries.

Professional Affiliations

PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC HONORS

2022       Society of Manufacturing Engineers selected Craig as one of the “25 leaders transforming
            Manufacturing.”
2019       Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
2018    FLC ORNL’s Co-development and Licensing of Large Area Additive Manufacturing
               Technologies
2016    JEC World 2016 Top Global Innovation Award for composite innovations through Big Area Additive Manufacturing developed by Cincinnati Incorporated, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Dassault Systems.
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.
2006    Convocation of “Rising Above the Gathering Storm:  Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities for a Brighter Economic Future”, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, September 2006.
2006    Selected to serve on the Review Panel at National Science Foundation (NSF), Washington, D.C.
2006    Convocation of “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Materials and Manufacturing Processes”, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, December 2006.
2005    Selected to serve on the Technology Advisory Panel Review Materials for the Next Generation Manufacturing Technology Initiative, January 24, 2005.
2004    National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Award Winner. Participant in the 2004 Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (JAFOE), November 4-6, 2004, in Keihanna, Japan.
2003    National Academy of Engineering’s Ninth Annual Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering Participant, Irvine, California, September 18, 2003.
2003    Selected Distinguished Engineer for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Managed by UT/Battelle.
2002    Selected to serve on the National Space and Missile Symposium Steering Committee.
2001    Federal Laboratory Consortium Award of Excellence in Technology Transfer for “Polymer Boot Heater to Improve Vehicle Assembly-Line Ergonomics and Production”.
2000    UT-Battelle Awards Night 2000 Technical Achievement Award for the development of the Infrared Processing Center.
1999    American Museum of Science & Energy Foundation for Technical Achievement - Polymer Infrared Heating.
1998    International Hall of Fame’s Technical Achievement Award for Advanced Infrared Processing.

Trademarks and Patents

PATENTS

1.    U.S. Patent App. 16/519,746: Rapid manufacturing of tailored preforms, 2020.
2.    U.S. Patent 9,884,444: Enhanced Additive Manufacturing with a Reciprocating Platen, February 6, 2018.
3.    U.S. Patent 9,347,138: In-Situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser, May 24, 2016.
4.    U.S. Patent 9,196,760: Methods for Producing Complex Films, and Films Produced Thereby, November 24, 2015.
5.    U.S. Patent, 9,080,229 B2: Nano-Composite Stainless Steel, July 14, 2015.
6.    U.S. Patent 8,809,110: High throughput parallel backside contacting and periodic texturing for high-efficiency solar cells, August 19, 2014.
7.    U.S. Patent 8,778,724: High volume method of making low-cost, lightweight solar materials, July 15, 2014.
8.    U.S. Patent 8,424,745: Composite biaxially textured substrates using Ultrasonic Consolidation, April 23, 2013.
9.    U.S. Patent No. 8,778,459 B2: Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals and Methods of Forming Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals, July 15, 2014
10.    U.S. Patent No. 8,673,455: In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser, March 18, 2014.
11.    U.S. Patent 8,524,053: Compositions of corrosion-resistant Fe-based amorphous metals suitable for producing thermal spray coatings, September 3, 2013
12.    U.S. Patent 8,480,864: Composition of corrosion-resistant Fe-based amorphous metals suitable for producing thermal spray coatings, July 9, 2013.
13.    U.S. Patent No. 8,424,745: Composite Biaxially Textured Substrates using Ultrasonic Consolidation, April 23, 2013
14.    U.S. Patent No. 8,210,420: Composite Biaxially textured substrates using ultrasonic consolidation, July 3, 2012.
15.    U.S. Patent 7,939,142: In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser, May 10, 2011.
16.    U.S. Patent No. 7,754,279: Article Coated with Flash Bonded Superhydrophobic Particles, July 13, 2010.
17.    U.S. Patent 7,618,500: Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals and Methods of Forming Corrosion Resistant Amorphous Metals, November 17, 2009.
18.    U.S. Patent No. 7,544,256: Process of Preparing Metal Parts to be Heated by Means of Infrared Radiance, June 9, 2009.
19.    U.S. Patent No. 7,220, 936: Pulse Thermal Processing of Functional Materials, May 22, 2007.
20.    U.S. Patent No. 6,663,826: Method of High-Density Foil Fabrication, December 16, 2003.
21.    U.S. Patent No. 6,667,111: Rapid infrared heating of a surface, December 23, 2003
22.    U. S. Patent No. 6,437,292, Rapid Infrared Heating of a surface August 20, 2002
23.    U. S. Patent No. 6,432,555, August 13, 2002
24.    U.S. Patent 6,238,498: Method of Fabricating a Homogeneous Wire of Inter-Metallic Alloy, May 29, 2001.
25.    U.S. Patent No. 6,180,909: Apparatus and Method for Sealing Fluid Filter by Infrared Heating, January 30, 2001.
26.    U.S. Patent No. 6,174,388, Rapid Infrared Heating of a surface January 16, 2001.
27.    U.S. Patent No. 6,027,699: Material forming using a directed droplet stream, February 22, 2000.
28.    U.S. Patent No. 6,002,110: Method of using infrared radiation for assembling a first component with a second component, December 14, 1999.

Publications

Other Publications