Initially posted on May 10th, this article has been updated to reflect the fact that Boeing and Northrop Grumman have joined the AM Forward initiative.
The time is right for the AM Forward initiative.
The launch of President Biden’s AM Forward Initiative came with a number of public commitments made by additive manufacturing companies and aerospace OEMs. So far, GE Aviation, Raytheon, Siemens Energy, Lockheed Martin, and Honeywell have announced measurable goals that will help SMEs to improve supply chain resilience through AM.
Furthermore, on August 17th, other aerospace OEMs – Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman – have decided to join the White House-backed compact to help smaller U.S.-based suppliers increase the use of 3D printing and other advanced manufacturing technologies.
As a reminder, AM Forward is a completely voluntary compact open to any OEM to participate, provided they are willing to make public commitments to support their suppliers’ adoption of additive capabilities. It will be supported by Applied Science & Technology Research Organization (ASTRO), a non-profit organization.
On the heels of this launch, Desktop Metal becomes one of the first OEMs to publicly announce its support and commitment for the Biden Administration’s Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward) initiative.
While it did not mention at what scale it will be involved in this initiative, it did give a hint on the industries that would benefit the most from its expertise and capabilities. U.S. foundries, for example, are adopting AM to deal with a surge in demand. Following years of contraction, the U.S. metalcasting industry is experiencing growth as a result of supply chain changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent survey released by the American Foundry Society shows that 90 percent of responding North American foundries anticipate making capital investments in the next 12 months, including industrial 3D printers, the company says in a press release.
“We look forward to partnering with the Biden Administration, ASTRO America, America Makes, and all those working together to transform manufacturing in the U.S. through AM Forward,” Ric Fulop, Co-founder and CEO of Desktop Metal, said.
On another note, Sintavia had been chosen to represent the AM supply chain. Each of the aforementioned aerospace OEMs had the opportunity to nominate an AM supplier to participate in the launch, and Sintavia was chosen by both Lockheed Martin and Honeywell Aerospace. For the additive manufacturer of advanced propulsion and thermodynamic systems for the Aerospace, Defense, & Space industry, the transformation is just getting started.
“AM Forward is an initiative that is critical to the long-term viability of American manufacturing, and we similarly call on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act to advance research and development into additive manufacturing and other transformational manufacturing technologies”, said Brian Neff, Sintavia’s Founder & CEO.
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