Jones collaborated within the MDF alongside seasoned advanced manufacturing specialists from UT and ORNL, and propelled onto a leading-edge career trajectory in additive manufacturing for the aviation, defense, and energy sectors, initially as the founder of the start-up Volunteer Aerospace and currently as a key member of Beehive Industries.
Beehive Industries leverages cutting-edge additive manufacturing to create precision components for jet engines in collaboration with ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. Image Credit: Beehive Industries
When Jonaaron Jones started his Master’s Degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, his mentor invited him to visit the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
I saw a metal 3D-printed part for the first time. I knew I was seeing the future — for industry and for me.
Jonaaron Jones, University of Tennessee
Over the subsequent years, Jones collaborated within the MDF alongside seasoned advanced manufacturing specialists from UT and ORNL. Jones experiences there propelled him onto a leading-edge career trajectory in additive manufacturing for the aviation, defense, and energy sectors, initially as the founder of the start-up Volunteer Aerospace and currently as a key member of Beehive Industries.
Beehive Industries is a US-based additive manufacturing firm specializing in the design and development of jet engines for defense purposes, as well as parts manufacturing. With Jones serving as president and general manager of its external parts division, Beehive Industries continues to exemplify the impact of partnering with the MDF in fostering technical and economic advancement for the United States.
Volunteers in Action
Suresh Babu, Jones's mentor and the former UT-ORNL Governor's Chair of Advanced Manufacturing, played a crucial role in connecting him with MDF experts and resources, as well as key partners within the aerospace, defense, and energy industries.
In 2015, Babu spearheaded a collaborative project involving UT and MDF researchers alongside industry partner Aerojet Rocketdyne. This initiative received support from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Production Act under the federal Title III cost-share program.
Jones and his fellow team members aimed to identify additive manufacturing solutions to address challenges within the aerospace supply chain, including lengthy lead times and quality issues associated with cast parts.
Their specific objective was to 3D print aluminum components for the RL10 liquid rocket engine produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne. At that time, the technology readiness level for aluminum in additive manufacturing was quite low, and the team encountered initial difficulties due to a scarcity of suitable materials and machine options.
“We essentially had to apply aluminum powder atomized for other applications, like automotive. We learned that powder requirements were different. For example, we had to correct for moisture content,” said Jones.
The team also faced the challenge of locating a machine with sufficient build volume to accommodate the production of rocket parts. At that time, the largest commercially available option was Concept Laser’s X-Line 1000, which was primarily designed for prototyping small automotive engine blocks. The team subsequently installed one of these machines within the MDF.
“The rocket parts at least fit inside, but it wasn’t designed for the level of quality we needed. I volunteered to take on making the machine usable for our project. I realized I had all the people and resources I needed at my fingertips. I worked with different groups around the lab to identify problems, solve them at the basic science level, apply the fixes and test them. A company doing this on its own wouldn’t have had that advantage. After we worked on the machine and the material feedstock, the difference was night and day,” said Jones.
At the program's conclusion, Aerojet Rocketdyne opted against relocating the 3D printer to its production facilities. However, Title III stipulations required that the equipment be utilized to strengthen the defense supply chain.
Jones and two future business partners – his wife, Rachel Cade Jones, and ORNL colleague Devon Burkle – conceived a solution. In 2016, they sought and obtained approval from all parties involved in the project to establish their own company, Volunteer Aerospace.
In 2017, they moved the X-Line 1000 printer from the MDF to a facility located just ten minutes away. Volunteer Aerospace rapidly expanded, adding new employees, machines, and clients such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
“We became the industry leader in large aluminum parts,” said Jones.
Volunteer Aerospace also supported the MDF on material development initiatives and assisted other ORNL teams with small yet intricate projects, such as 3D-printing a distillation column for carbon capture applications.
Volunteer Aerospace's success and capabilities attracted Beehive Industries' attention. In 2021, Beehive Industries acquired Volunteer Aerospace to further its goal of strengthening American defense by expanding its core capabilities, workforce, and resources.
Catalyzing an Ecosystem for Success
Ninety-eight percent of manufacturing happens at small and medium enterprises like Volunteer Aerospace. Bringing manufacturing to a region, developing supply chains and commercializing new technologies are heavy lifts that one entity, no matter the size, can’t achieve alone. It takes an ecosystem. The MDF’s unique public-private partnership model is a catalyst for developing that ecosystem, and we are bringing small and medium companies into it so they can succeed more rapidly.
Craig Blue, Chief Manufacturing Officer, ORNL
Ryan Dehoff, the director of the MDF at ORNL, stated that this collaborative environment is consistent with the Department of Energy's mission.
It’s where industry, academia and government come together to tackle big challenges across the entire supply chain, and where the workforce connects with training and experience. Together, it’s a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Ryan Dehoff, Director, MDF, ORNL
This national network extends from a central hub in East Tennessee, a region strategically positioned within a day's drive of 65% of the US population and approximately two-thirds of its manufacturing sector. Within this collaborative environment, the MDF interacts annually with over 1,000 entities, encompassing industry partners across all sectors and more than 50 universities, to foster scientific progress, technology implementation, and economic expansion.
Blue said the evolution of Volunteer Aerospace “is an incredibly strong success story in the ecosystem, and it continues with Beehive Industries.”
Open For Growth and Employment
Since its acquisition of Volunteer Aerospace, Beehive Industries has expanded its presence in East Tennessee, notably by opening a $4 million, 60,000-square-foot facility in Knox County in May 2024.
“Proximity to the MDF was key for Volunteer Aerospace, and now for Beehive. It’s still the first place we turn to talk through challenges. Recently, they’ve been a huge resource as we get more into machining additive manufactured parts,” said Jones
“Being nearby also helps us collaborate with other companies in the ecosystem. When Boeing visits the MDF, for example, it’s simple to take the short drive to our new facility,” added Jones.
This facility is currently engaged in the production and validation of critical jet engine hardware components, while also generating new high-technology employment opportunities. Beehive Industries anticipates that its local workforce will grow to over 150 individuals in the future, encompassing roles in manufacturing, engineering, and machining.
“We’re also thinking about how to train and integrate the next generation of professionals,” said Jones.
Beehive Industries is leveraging programs at the University of Tennessee, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, and other local educational institutions to achieve this growth. The Beehive team is also particularly enthusiastic about Pellissippi State Community College’s newly established aviation technology degree program.
Looking to the Future
“In Beehive’s external parts business, it’s our job to stay on the cutting edge to serve the company and service our customers’ needs,” said Jones.
For instance, Beehive Industries has collaborated with the MDF on a sustained project focused on the development, testing, and establishment of a supply chain for an advanced aluminum alloy specifically engineered for use in aerospace applications.
“The MDF gives us a window into the future, right next door. We get to see what technologies are coming down the pike in five years and think now about how to integrate those into our products and processes,” added Jones.
Beehive Industries' market sector, which involves laser powder bed fusion for defense, aviation, and energy applications, has experienced substantial year-over-year growth.
“We don’t see that stopping. Additive manufacturing has become a standardized production offer, and work coming out of the MDF and ORNL has significantly influenced that. The more demand keeps growing, the more jobs we can continue creating,” said Jones.
“Jonaaron and Beehive are advancing the science while building the ecosystem. We want to see even more companies and universities get involved in both, so that together, we can create more success stories and economic growth,” said Babu.