Materials, processes & qualification
Materials development, selection and characterization, process development, specifications, qualification strategies, and production-readiness support across additive and advanced manufacturing.
Materials science / advanced manufacturing
Turning technology into real capability.
Materials science and advanced manufacturing expertise to help organizations solve difficult technical challenges and move from possibility to production.
01 / What we do
From opportunity to implementation.
The harder question is not what new technology can do, but where it makes sense and what it takes to put it to work.
Applications & business cases
VEC identifies and evaluates high-value applications, assesses technical and economic feasibility, and builds the case for implementation.
Strategy & technology roadmaps
We help organizations assess technologies and applications, prioritize opportunities, and develop practical roadmaps for investment and adoption.
Implementation & scale
VEC helps establish workflows, supplier networks, digital infrastructure, technical frameworks, and internal programs that allow successful applications to scale.
Workforce & capability development
Technical training, operator guidance, executive education, and hands-on workforce programs that help organizations build and retain advanced manufacturing knowledge.
02 / Selected work
Consequential problems that rarely fit neatly into one box.
01Materials
MAT / 01 / Materials
Materials development & manufacturing scale-up
Supporting an innovative manufacturing technology company with powder development, materials characterization, process development, and the transition from R&D into production.
02Automotive
AUTO / 02 / Automotive
Automotive AM strategy & adoption
Helping a billion-dollar OEM identify high-value spare-part applications, establish specifications, and qualify a supplier network.
03Defense
DEF / 03 / Defense
Defense manufacturing & workforce readiness
Translating polymer AM workflows into scalable, operator-focused training for UAV production, modification, and repair.
04Healthcare
MED / 04 / Healthcare
Healthcare AM & regulatory strategy
Providing technical guidance through FDA requirements while establishing a safe, effective internal 3D printing capability.
03 / Why VECIndependent expertise.
Independent expertise.
Practical execution.
Deep technical expertise
Deep expertise in materials science, additive manufacturing, and engineering allows us to work alongside technical teams, not simply advise from the outside.
Strategy through implementation
Our work spans the full adoption lifecycle, from technology assessment and business cases through materials, qualification, implementation, and workforce development.
Cross-industry perspective
Experience across aerospace and defense, automotive, healthcare, technology developers, universities, and the broader manufacturing ecosystem.
Independent judgment
Technology only matters when it solves the right problem. Sometimes the right recommendation is to proceed differently, use another technology, or not proceed at all.
04 / Additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing, from materials to production.
Our work spans materials and process development, applications, qualification, strategy, digital manufacturing, regulatory pathways, workforce development, and production scale-up. The objective is never simply to use more additive manufacturing. It's to build a better manufacturing capability.
05 / About
MIKE VASQUEZ, PhD
MIT — BS/MS MATERIALS SCIENCE
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY — PhD ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Technical depth. Industry perspective. Trusted counsel.
VEC was founded by Mike Vasquez, PhD, a materials scientist and additive manufacturing expert, to help organizations turn emerging technologies into practical capabilities.
His work spans materials and process development, technology strategy, applications, qualification, workforce development, and the practical challenges of scaling new manufacturing capabilities.
Building the next generation of manufacturing expertise.
Hands-on technical education, real-world industry projects, facility tours, and professional skills for advanced manufacturing careers.
Explore AMxConversations shaping the field.
Mike speaks with the entrepreneurs, engineers, executives, and researchers shaping the future of additive and advanced manufacturing.
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Have a manufacturing challenge without an obvious answer?
Those are often the problems where VEC can add the most value.
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