The Additive Advantage Podcast

Advanced manufacturing is about more than technology—it's about the policies, workforce, and investments that determine whether innovation succeeds. In this episode, Congressman Dusty Johnson joins us to discuss what it will take for America to remain globally competitive. From protecting intellectual property and strengthening the defense industrial base to embracing AI, developing the manuf...

Most conversations about additive manufacturing focus on the printer. Patrick Dobbs believes that's the wrong place to start. In this episode, we sit down with master jeweler, CAD designer, entrepreneur, and manufacturing innovator Patrick Dobbs to discuss why manufacturing judgment—not technology—is often the biggest differentiator between success and failure. Drawing on decades of experienc...

What separates successful additive manufacturing programs from expensive experiments? According to John Kawola, it starts with a simple question: Why? In this episode of The Additive Advantage Podcast , Shon Anderson sits down with John Kawola, CEO of Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF), to discuss nearly three decades of lessons learned from the evolution of additive manufacturing. From his early days...

Manufacturing leaders everywhere are trying to move additive manufacturing beyond prototypes and pilot programs — but scaling additive successfully takes far more than buying another 3D printer. In this episode of The Additive Advantage Podcast, we sit down with Adam Simons, Head of Sales & Applications for North America at ATLIX (formerly TRUMPF Additive Manufacturing), to unpack what actuall...

In this episode of The Additive Advantage Podcast, Shon Anderson sits down with Andre Wegner, CEO of Authentise, for a wide-ranging conversation on workflow orchestration, contextual data, AI, and the future of scalable additive manufacturing. Andre shares how Authentise evolved from focusing on IP protection and distributed manufacturing into building systems designed to connect the entire additi...

In Episode 10 of The Additive Advantage Podcast , Shon Anderson and Dani Mason take on one of the biggest barriers in additive manufacturing: why so many companies struggle to move from prototyping into real production. This solo episode breaks down a hard truth—additive doesn’t scale because of better 3D printers. It scales when companies build systems that deliver consistent, repeatable outcomes...

In this episode of The Additive Advantage Podcast , we sit down with Tuan TranPham to unpack a hard truth about the additive manufacturing industry: despite billions of dollars in investment, the technology still hasn’t delivered at the scale many expected. From the early days of hype and venture funding to today’s push for real production applications, Tuan shares his perspective on what’s been m...

What if the biggest problem in plastics manufacturing isn’t technology—but the gap between them? In Episode 8 of The Additive Advantage Podcast, we sit down with the team at Polymer Dynamics to unpack one of the most persistent challenges in product development: bridging the divide between additive manufacturing and injection molding. For years, engineers have been forced into tradeoffs. Additive...

In Episode 7 of The Additive Advantage , we’re joined by Stefan Joens , President of Elnik Systems and DSH Technologies , companies at the center of metal injection molding and sinter-based additive manufacturing. Stefan shares how decades of experience in traditional manufacturing helped his team approach additive manufacturing with a different mindset—one grounded in proven manufacturing princip...

In this episode of The Additive Advantage , we sit down with Tom Jantsch , COO of Ronawk, to explore why biotechnology is increasingly a national resilience and security issue. Biotechnology extends far beyond healthcare — impacting agriculture, fuels, materials, and more. As global supply chains face pressure and policy attention intensifies, the ability to produce biotech solutions reliably and...

For years, additive manufacturing was evaluated on performance, cost, and speed. Now it’s being evaluated on something else: security. In this episode of The Additive Advantage , Shon Anderson and Dani Mason unpack the growing scrutiny around additive manufacturing systems—why it’s happening, why it’s accelerating, and why this is far bigger than a “buy American” initiative. What started as an NDA...

Blake Teipel brings a manufacturing-first lens (John Deere/Caterpillar) and hard-earned operator experience from scaling an AM company through the 2020–2024 volatility cycle. Together, the group unpacks why additive still holds real promise—but only when it’s anchored to outcomes, supported by the right operating model, and executed with realistic expectations around adoption, QA/QC, workforce, an...

Most technology initiatives don’t fail because the technology doesn’t work. They fail because execution is underestimated. In this episode of The Additive Advantage , we sit down with Todd Gagne —former Concur executive, serial entrepreneur, and founder of Wildfire Labs—to talk about what it really takes to move strategic initiatives from idea to impact. Todd brings experience from early-stage sta...

On T he Additive Advantage , we talk about why additive manufacturing succeeds or fails — and why the answer is never the printer itself. In this episode, we’re joined by Paul Chabala , Senior Manager of Managed 3D Printing Services at Ricoh USA , who brings one of the clearest inside-out perspectives on enterprise additive manufacturing. Paul began his career in product development, but additive...

Why do so many additive manufacturing (AM) initiatives stall, miss ROI targets, or quietly disappear—despite great technology and smart engineers? In this episode of The Additive Advantage Podcast , hosts Dani Mason and Shon Anderson cut through the hype to unpack the real reasons AM programs fail—and what successful organizations do differently. Spoiler: it’s rarely the printer. From misaligned i...

Join hosts Dani Mason and Shon Anderson as they pull back the curtain on what it takes to drive technology-fueled business growth. With 40 years of combined experience, they reveal how to transform additive manufacturing from endless pilots into real business results. Discover the Additive Advantage model, a strategic roadmap and AI-enabled toolset designed to connect your strategy with execution...