Pittsburgh lost much of its manufacturing base with steel’s decline in the 1970s and ’80s but never abandoned the sector completely. Now, it’s edging back — in a high-tech way — thanks in part to GE’s $39 million investment in an advanced manufacturing research center in Findlay.

Employing 22 engineers now, with plans to bring another 28 high-tech workers on board by next year, the Center for Additive Technology Advancement will explore the use of 3-D printers and related technology to make less expensive, more-efficient products for the aerospace, automotive, medical and other industries. The center, which held a grand opening Tuesday, will reimagine the way many products are made.

Jeff Immelt, GE chairman and CEO, said Pittsburgh has the potential to become one of a handful of national hubs for this variety of manufacturing. He’s right. It’s a natural fit.

GE’s welcome investment complements work already underway here, such as the high-tech manufacturing research at local universities, the production of 3-D printers by ExOne in North Huntingdon and the new-age entrepreneurship and work force training at the Energy Innovation Center in the Lower Hill District. Besides their brains, Pittsburghers still have the old-school work ethic that companies of all types need to succeed.

In a recent campaign interview, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, announced plans to hold an Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. One in a series of summits to be held around the country this year, the event will air ideas for boosting the local economy. Growing the additive, or 3-D, manufacturing field should be on the agenda.

First Published: April 7, 2016, 4:00 a.m.