The following article appeared on 3DRuck.com:
A new center for additive manufacturing and component testing is being established on Guam with the Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator, or GAMMA for short. The facility, coordinated by ASTRO America is expected to reach full operating capacity by February 2027. The foundation is a $40 million contract from the U.S. Navy to expand manufacturing capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
The focus is on the local production of hard-to-source spare parts. Components for submarines, military vehicles, or municipal equipment could be manufactured within a few weeks in the future, instead of requiring months of waiting for deliveries.
“We’re working here as quickly as possible to get everything up and running,“ explained Neal Orringer, co-founder, president, and chairman of ASTRO, during his visit to Guam this summer, where he learned about GAMMA’s progress.
“Yesterday, we spoke with the governor and lieutenant governor about several other industries that are struggling with specialized components that are difficult to source,“ said Orringer. „One example is emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks. These vehicles have components that you can’t get anywhere. The same is even true for the trucks operated by the Guam Power Authority.“
In addition to 3D printing systems, microscopy equipment, digital inspection systems, robotic welding technology, and CNC-milling machines have already been installed. A computed tomography scanner is also planned for a later date. This will allow internal defects, porosity, and geometric deviations to be detected nondestructively. Particularly for safety-critical metal components, the actual printing process alone is not sufficient: material density, load-bearing capacity, and process history must be documented and validated.”
“Evaluation is important—it takes hundreds of pages of data to confirm that the parts have been manufactured correctly. If a part does not have the required density or cannot withstand impacts, it can be a matter of life and death,“ Orringer said.
“Without well-trained, highly qualified professionals, there can be no manufacturing industry. Our goal is not merely to create a program that lasts only a few years,“ Orringer explained.
At the same time, ASTRO is establishing training programs. Together with the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Guam, an engineering program is planned, with its launch currently scheduled for fall 2027.
“UOG is a great partner and currently has a certified civil engineering program, which makes a great deal of sense given the construction industry based here. But in addition, we will begin building a mechanical engineering program here on Guam,“ Orringer added.
GAMMA thus demonstrates that decentralized additive manufacturing becomes particularly relevant when production, inspection, digital process data, and qualified personnel are established as an integrated infrastructure.