White House pushes national program to promote additive manufacturing

President Joe Biden announced plans to launch the Additive Manufacturing Forward program while at United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, May 6. Shown with him are Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, left, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Andrew Harnik for AP Photo

The Biden administration on May 6 joined several large U.S. companies to launch Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward), a voluntary, public-private compact intended to broaden 3D printing use among U.S.-based small and medium-sized suppliers.

The initial corporate partners are GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, and Siemens Energy.

“There’s hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller suppliers that help these iconic American businesses compete globally,” said President Joe Biden. “And when [smaller suppliers] do well, the big businesses do even better.

When smaller suppliers do well, the big businesses do even better. – President Biden

“3D printing technology … can reduce part lead times by as much as 90%, slash material costs by 90%, and cut energy use in half. But not all small- and medium-sized firms have access to the resources and financing and support they need to adopt this technology—until today.”

A commitment by large companies to help smaller ones adopt new technologies, Biden continued, will help the nation “continue to be the leading exporter of aircraft and engines and in areas like medical devices and clean energy technologies.”

Forward Thinking

The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic impact highlighted long-standing vulnerabilities in global supply chains across every major industry and at every tier of the industrial base. Challenges have been particularly acute among suppliers that fulfill low-volume/high-mix orders for parts made from castings or forgings. The result: widespread delays and shortages in LVHM parts, inflation, and factory closures.

These impacts affect key industries, including the aviation, energy, automotive, medical device, and national security sectors.

The implementer of AM Forward is the Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America, a not-for-profit research institute and think tank dedicated to advancing manufacturing technology and policies. ASTRO America wants to help small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers to use or expand their use of AM/3D printing technologies in their shops, plants, and factories.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic impact highlighted long-standing vulnerabilities in global supply chains across every major industry and at every tier of the industrial base.

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and the other initial members of AM Forward have signed letters of intent outlining their specific commitment to increasing demand for 3D-printed parts, as well as providing training opportunities to suppliers’ workers, offering detailed technical assistance, and engaging in standards development.

Below is a sampling of the publicly made commitments from AM Forward participants:

• GE Aviation will set a target of having SME (small to medium-sized enterprise) suppliers compete on 50% of the RFQs it sends out for additively manufactured products and related technologies. GE also will target 30% of its total external sourcing of additively manufactured parts from U.S.-based SMEs.

• Raytheon aims to have SMEs respond to 50% or more of its RFQs for 3D-printed products and to simplify and accelerate its procurement process for AM parts.

• Siemens Energy aims to purchase 20% to 40% of all externally sourced AM parts and services from U.S.-based suppliers and partners. It also will teach best practices for inspection and postprocessing to 10 to 20 SMEs.

• Lockheed Martin will work with its SME suppliers to conduct research aimed at improving the performance of AM techniques, with a specific focus on the use of 3D printing as an alternative to casting and forging. The aerospace company also will participate in university programs aimed at AM workforce development.

• Honeywell is focused on getting U.S.-based SMEs to respond to RFQs it sends out for products, machinery, manufacturing tooling, and/or manufacturing process developments that utilize AM or related technologies. It also will offer technical assistance in the areas of part design, data generation, machine operation, postprocessing, and part inspection.

The Biden administration hopes AM Forward will lower costs for American families by improving the competitiveness of the nation’s small and medium-sized manufacturers, creating and sustaining high-paying manufacturing jobs and improving supply chain resilience through the adoption of AM.