Ribbon cutting signifies "new day" for Youngstown and tech belt - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio- The ribbon cutting outside of the new National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute on Boardman Street is the pinnacle of five years of hard work between legislators and scientists in establishing a tech-belt between Ohio and Pennsylvania. And Youngstown will be at the center of it.

"Really, it's the start of a new day for Youngstown and the entire tech belt region," said Barb Ewing, CEO of the Youngstown Business Incubator. "This will take our industrial base and propel them forward with new opportunities to do great things."

Students from Youngstown State University's STEM College will be involved in the research that will take place in the renovated warehouse.

The machines they will use literally "print" objects that were graphically created on a computer.

"There are capabilities that it can enable that will allow us to create new designs, new products, new materials that we presently don't have today," said Ralph Resnick of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining

The hope is that technology like this will help jump start the economy and create jobs by creating this new approach to manufacturing.

Valley Congressman Tim Ryan said," The long-term benefits are going to be much, much greater than we could ever imagine because this will now be the creative center for new ways to manufacture things."

A $30 million grant from the Obama Administration is contributing to this research.