Built for Complexity
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Date
Thursday, August 20, 2026
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Time
3:00pm – 6:00pm CDT
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Location
Fathom Manufacturing Headquarters 1050 Walnut Ridge Drive Hartland, WI 53029
Complex parts require more than machine capacity.
A behind the scenes look at the decisions behind advanced manufacturing.
When geometry is difficult, requirements are strict or a program needs to move from an early prototype into repeatable production, choosing the right manufacturing process is only the beginning.
The Manufacturing Exchange: Milwaukee Edition brings manufacturing leaders inside Fathom’s Hartland headquarters to explore how engineering expertise, process selection, quality systems and integrated capabilities help reduce risk across complex programs.
Guests will experience small-group shop tours, a live panel discussion, real manufacturing examples and conversations with peers who understand the pressure behind cost, timing, quality and production readiness.
Complexity is not solved by one machine.
The right manufacturing path depends on the part, the application and what the program needs to accomplish.
At Fathom’s Hartland headquarters, teams work across metal and polymer additive manufacturing, CNC machining, wire and sinker EDM, post-processing, welding, finishing, assembly and inspection. That breadth makes it possible to evaluate the full program instead of forcing every part into a single process.
This event is built around the real decisions behind complex manufacturing: selecting the right process, identifying manufacturability issues early, controlling handoffs, meeting quality and traceability requirements and creating a practical path from prototype to repeatable production.
More than a networking event.
The Manufacturing Exchange is designed to bring people closer to the decisions, technologies and expertise behind the work.
Guests will tour the facility, hear from local manufacturing leaders and spend time with peers across engineering, product development, operations, quality, sourcing, supply chain and production.
Facility Tours
Small-group tours will show how additive manufacturing, CNC machining, EDM, post-processing, finishing, assembly and inspection come together to support complex programs from early development through production.
Live Panel Discussion
A casual, moderated discussion will bring together local manufacturing leaders to talk about real program challenges, practical decision-making and what it takes to move complex parts and products forward.
Local Manufacturing Connections
Connect with the regional manufacturing community while enjoying food, cold drinks and conversation with peers who understand the realities of bringing complex products to life.
Panel Discussion
Complex Parts. Critical Decisions.
Join a moderated discussion with local manufacturing leaders about the decisions that make or break complex programs.
Panelists will explore how teams select the right manufacturing process, where manufacturability problems surface, what changes when a prototype becomes a production program and how engineering, sourcing and suppliers can work together more effectively.
The conversation will also address the tradeoffs behind cost, speed, quality and risk; the impact of unnecessary supplier handoffs; documentation and traceability requirements; and what customers need from a manufacturing partner beyond machine capacity.
Shop Tour
Inside Fathom’s Hartland headquarters.
The shop tour will give attendees a closer look inside Fathom’s most comprehensive U.S. manufacturing facility.
Guests will see how metal and polymer additive manufacturing, large-format CNC machining, wire and sinker EDM, post-processing, welding, finishing, assembly and inspection support programs with difficult geometries, demanding tolerances and complex production requirements.
The tour will also highlight the rare combination of DMLS and precision machining within one facility, showing how additive parts can move directly into machining and finishing workflows without unnecessary supplier handoffs.
Tours will be organized in smaller groups to create a more useful experience and give attendees a better opportunity to ask questions, meet the people behind the work and understand how different processes connect.
Agenda
An afternoon built around the work, the decisions and the people behind manufacturing.
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3:00 PM – Arrival, Shop Tours and Networking
Guests arrive, check in, meet the Fathom team and rotate through small-group tours of the Hartland facility.
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4:30 PM – Live Panel Discussion
Local manufacturing leaders discuss process selection, manufacturability, prototype-to-production challenges, supplier collaboration and the critical decisions behind complex programs.
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5:30 PM – Food, Drinks and Networking
Continue the conversation with panelists, peers and Fathom technical experts.
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6:00 PM – Event Concludes
What You’ll Learn
Who Should Attend?
This event is for people involved in the technical, operational and sourcing decisions behind complex manufacturing programs.
It is especially relevant for:
- Engineering leaders
- Product development and NPI teams
- Manufacturing and operations leaders
- Quality leaders
- Sourcing and supply chain leaders
- Program managers
- Technical buyers
- Executives responsible for advanced or regulated manufacturing
If your team works with aerospace and defense systems, industrial equipment, medical technology, automotive and EV products, robotics, semiconductor equipment or other complex applications, this event was built with your programs and decisions in mind.
Why Fathom?
Broad capability. Deep expertise. One connected manufacturing team.
Fathom’s Hartland headquarters combines 57 additive manufacturing systems and 34 CNC and EDM machines with post-processing, welding, finishing, assembly and inspection.
The facility supports programs from early prototyping and DFM through bridge production, low-volume manufacturing and full production. Its quality and compliance infrastructure includes ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR registration and NIST 800-171 requirements.
Fathom is not a black-box quote platform. Customers work directly with experienced engineering and manufacturing teams who help evaluate requirements, identify risk and determine the right path forward.
The Manufacturing Exchange: Milwaukee Edition is an opportunity to see that combination up close.
