NextFlex News – April 2025
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
More than 200 NextFlex members and government partners gathered for Innovation Days in Santa Clara, Calif., March 25-26, both in person and virtually, for two days of presentations, demonstrations, and a celebration of our 10th anniversary. This year’s event featured a keynote presentation by Dr. Charles Ormsby, Chief, Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, AFRL, who spoke about the importance of readiness of the defense industrial base in support of critical DoD needs. Additional keynotes by Dr. Terry Brewer, Executive Chairman, Brewer Science, Cecilia Le, Advisor, Persistence Plus, and John Van Akkeren, Director of Life Sciences at Point B Consulting, inspired the audience. An amazing display of hybrid electronics-enabled demonstrators and capabilities showcased by more than 30 members provided an opportunity to share technology learning and the chance to meet potential collaboration partners. Supported by an outstanding member-driven Advisory Group, this year’s Innovation Days elevated the conversation about technology transitions for both commercial applications and national security.
Four deserving hybrid electronics industry experts were recognized as NextFlex Fellows for their exceptional commitment to advancing the NextFlex mission and the member community. Pictured at left are Dr. Dan Gamota, NextFlex (presenter), and new NextFlex Fellows (L-R) Dr. David Estrada, Boise State, Paul Gaylo, Lockheed Martin, Tom Rovere, Lockheed Martin, and Dr. Charles Ormsby, AFRL. Each of these individuals is a recognized thought leader, providing technical guidance on future-leaning roadmaps, contributing to successful innovation development projects, promoting the benefit of STEM education to the workforce of tomorrow, and providing strategic guidance to NextFlex and the hybrid electronics community.
In another highlight, the FlexFactor® student team from Pioneer High School in San Jose, Calif., presented their product concept, named Infant Insight, which is a device designed to monitor infants for the danger of SIDS. This team won the Santa Clara County regional finals and were honored to present their product idea to an audience of technologists and business leaders. Pictured at right are (L-R) Tessa Camama, Natalee Reynolds, Calina Toa, and Sophia Tayco.
The two-day event included discussions on technology transitions, expanding the industrial base, advancing hybrid electronics technology, and education and workforce development. Panels addressed challenges and opportunities for small businesses in the industrial base, hybrid electronics for automotive applications, and the future of the PCB industry with the goal of US market leadership, supply chain resilience, and national security in hybrid electronics.
If you attended Innovation Days and visited the NextFlex offices, please let us know if you have any feedback on our improved Hybrid Electronics Innovation Meadow. We are working to make the Meadow more accessible and interactive so that it is easier to spread awareness of hybrid electronics.
Now that Innovation Days has ended, it’s time for us to turn our attention to other upcoming events. As part of our 10th anniversary this year, we will be celebrating 10 years of collaboration and innovation between the Ohio Technical Skills Innovation Network (Ohio TechNet), NextFlex, and Lorain County Community College. The event will take place at Lorain County Community College on April 30 from 9:30 am to 2 pm.
At this milestone event, industry leaders, workforce experts, and education partners will highlight high-impact practices that address the evolving talent needs of manufacturing, with a particular focus on the defense industrial base. You can learn more by clicking here.
Additionally, on June 10, we will be hosting a half-day member-only meeting at UMass Boston in conjunction with the TechBlick Conference, “The Future of Electronics Reshaped.” The NextFlex Member Meeting will be followed by a reception. The agenda will consist of invited technical presentations and interactive discussions about the state of the art in hybrid electronics, including a session where we take a collective look at how AI can help drive hybrid electronics manufacturing in myriad ways including process optimization, improved yield and reliability, automation, and design and development. The session will feature breakout groups that enable members to weigh in on priorities for NextFlex.
If you are a NextFlex member and are interested in giving a short presentation at the NextFlex Member Meeting to introduce your organization in front of the membership, please make sure to open next week’s Wednesday Member Update for more information.
I hope to see many of you in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Dan Gamota, Ph.D.
NextFlex Executive Director