because, that's only half the story, with the other half being that, in that same period of time, 600,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost, because of plant closings or production of many plants moving overseas.
So, while Obama might have been right, he conveniently hides the rest of the story, where the 600,000 manufacturing jobs lost, brings a net loss of 100,000 manufacturing jobs. But, he can't tell the truth, because it would be very inconvenient, and would undermine his whole message of the country "recovering" from the recession.
The other part of the message which he conveniently fails to mention, is that, 3D manufacturing won't add any jobs or bring back any jobs from overseas. Automating any process, means that, people might be losing their jobs, because a machine will have replaced them. Also, if we can do 3D printing within the country, chances are that, it will be done for much less in other countries, which means that, even that process will have jobs lost to off-shore plants, and we'll end up with even more manufacturing jobs lost.
Presenting ideas with only one side of the story, and never mentioning the consequences, is something that Obama and the democrats are very good at. Nothing is without consequences, and the rosy pictures presented, are never the complete story.
But, the "State of the Union" is better, he says. But, better than what? That is a new way to spin the fact that, things are not so rosy. Better could mean, better than Greece? Or, better than Cuba? Or better than a collapsing economy?
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged the revival of the long-suffering U.S. manufacturing economy, and points to 3D printing as the technology that will create even more manufacturing opportunities. 
Here is an excerpt of the speech:
“Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
“There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There’s no reason this can’t happen in other towns. So tonight, I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.”
The launch of the Youngstown 3D printing center was highlighted at SmartPlanet last August, when U.S. policymakers and the U.S. military announced plans to build an Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, Ohio. (Additive manufacturing is another, more industrial-strength name for 3D printing.)
The center, a public-private partnership headed by the U.S. military, was created with the purpose of harnessing “the power of 3D printing to transform almost any digital blueprint into a physical object.”
3D printing may have applications within a wide range of industries including defense, aerospace, automotive, and metals manufacturing. The Department of Defense envisions customizing parts on site for operational systems that would otherwise be expensive to make or ship, according to a White House statement. The Department of Energy anticipates that additive processes would be able to save more than 50 percent energy use compared to today’s “subtractive” manufacturing processes.
3D printing may be the big thing in fab labs and hackerspaces, but it is also becoming a part of the greater economy as well. A lightweight footprint, high levels of customization, and speedy delivery means 3D printing may help make domestic manufacturing more competitive than shipping finished goods from overseas.
3D printing is an international phenomenon, of course. Widespread adoption of the technology will lift manufacturing economies across the globe.
(Photo credit: The White House.)
(Thumbnail photo credit: Joe McKendrick.)
