NXT MFG’s process for metal 3D printing aims to cut down manufacturing lead times for new parts
After finishing his Ph.D. at UT in December 2024, Eric Heikkenen launched NXT MFG and landed a spot in ORNL's competitive Innovation Crossroads program.
The industrial supply chain has gaps that domestic casting and forging can’t fill alone. Workforce shortages make it worse, stretching lead times for the metal parts manufacturers need. Eric Heikkenen, founder of Knoxville-based NXT MFG, thinks the answer is metal 3D printing.
“Through the Innovation Crossroads program, I am working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), developing my own deposition technology that even the guys at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) are excited about,” Heikkenen said.
His method, he says, produces higher quality parts across several types of metal.
Discovering a passion for 3D printing
It traces back to his training as a mechanical engineer. Heikkenen earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he first ran into 3D printing as a manufacturing method and thought it was the “coolest thing.”
“So, through a Black Friday special, I bought a $200 3D printer that functioned more like a hot glue gun that extrudes plastic,” he said. “That was really the start of it.”
He got fully absorbed during his dissertation, which focused on a different, large-scale form of metal 3D printing: additive friction stir deposition (AFSD). The goal was to prove the technology could print an entire vehicle. His material of choice was titanium, which melts at about 1,668 degrees Celsius (3,034 Fahrenheit).
“So, instead of melting it, we were printing at 800 degrees Celsius, which helped the metal become this Play-Doh-type consistency,” he explained.
From there, Heikkenen wandered down a different path, the one that became the core of NXT MFG.
Developing his own technology and application
“I’ve developed my own technology, and it seems to be really promising,” he said.
He can’t share specifics because his adaptive process control is proprietary, but he describes it as a new welding process that deposits more material with less heat.
The first prototype worked well at small scale, Heikkenen said, and a second was recently completed and is headed into testing.
He doesn’t see the technology operating in a vacuum. Instead, he expects NXT MFG’s process to run alongside traditional manufacturing to cut lead times.
“Additive manufacturing is great at making one thing, or 10 things, or maybe even 100 things.… It’s not the best method at making a million of something. That’s where the traditional methods are much, much better,” Heikkenen said. “But starting a new product line takes time, and additive manufacturing methods can bridge the gap before the full service line is up and running. You can use 3D printing to get new products done now.”
Finding Spark and starting a business
Heikkenen wrapped up his Ph.D. in December 2024, and officially launched his company in January of 2025. To sharpen his business acumen, he jumped right into the Spark Cleantech Accelerator at the UT Research Park.
“I really don’t want to use the cliché of drinking through a fire hose,” he laughed. “But that’s the best way to describe it. I come from a technical, research background, and the business side of things is completely different.”
Over the program, Heikkenen said he learned to articulate his technology’s value proposition, make it relevant to manufacturers, and build out a business plan.
The work paid off. During the 2025 Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) Opportunities in Energy conference, Spark hosted a demo day for its 2025 cohort, and NXT MFG won a $10,000 award from the Tennessee Valley Authority for his presentation.
“People recognize that there’s a need for different ways to make the parts they need,” he said. “The manufacturing world moves slowly, so any technology that could speed up those lead times is something companies will be interested in.”
Being accepted into Innovation Crossroads
Heikkenen applied for the 2026 cohort of Innovation Crossroads at ORNL and learned he’d been accepted two days before his wedding.
“Talk about a good week,” he said. “Having access to Oak Ridge means I have access to some of the best scientists in the world, especially for 3D metal printing. It’s also just a huge validation that ORNL sees value in what we’re building.”
The two-year program opens with Spark accelerator programming to help founders build out business plans. Heikkenen has already been through that piece, but said he’s ready to dig in again, this time with more business confidence. The 2026 cohort kicked off the week of Aug. 24.
Read more about the 2026 Innovation Crossroads Cohort.
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