Greetings from ASTRO!
In today’s issue:
- The New York Times features AM Forward
- AM Industry Summit – Keynote!
- ASTRO Presents Investment Opportunities in SMEs at Small Business Investor Alliance Conference – what’s next?
- ASTRO’s Jointless Hull Project – a media round-up
The New York Times features AM Forward
The launch of AM Forward was highlighted in a July 3 piece by The New York Times titled, “3-D Printing Grows Beyond Its Novelty Roots.” According to reporter Steve Lohr, with the technology improving and costs falling, 3-D printing (also known as additive manufacturing, or AM) could be poised to play a major role in manufacturing.
Recognizing the potential AM, he credits the Biden Administration for looking to the technology to help lead a resurgence of American manufacturing before noting President Biden’s role in the AM Forward launch in Cincinnati.
From the piece:
In May, President Biden traveled to Cincinnati to announce Additive Manufacturing Forward, an initiative coordinated by the White House in collaboration with major manufacturers. The five initial corporate members — GE Aviation, Honeywell, Siemens Energy, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — are increasing their use of additive manufacturing and pledged to help their small and medium-size American suppliers adopt the technology.
The voluntary commitments are intended to accelerate investment and build a broader domestic base of additive manufacturing skills. Because 3-D printing is a high-tech digital manufacturing process, administration officials say, it plays to America’s strength in software. Additive manufacturing, they add, will make American manufacturing less dependent on casting and metalworking done overseas, especially in China.
ASTRO is proud to be implementing this important program. We’re working hard and look forward to presenting our 90-day progress report to the White House.
AM Industry Summit – Keynote!
ASTRO’s CEO Neal Orringer, led the closing keynote discussion at this year’s AM Industry Summit entitled, “AM Forward: Building a Robust American Supply Chain for the Future”
The summit is considered the “essential” additive manufacturing community event, bringing together additive manufacturing and 3D printing engineers, directors, and executives from hundreds of attending companies.
The keynote discussion, which also included Jesse Boyer of Pratt & Whitney and Kevin Sheehan of Sieman’s Energy, was intended to help attendees understand commitments from AM Forward stakeholders (like GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Siemens Energy, Honeywell, and Raytheon Technologies) to broaden the use of AM by U.S.-based small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The panel discussed how these commitments are strengthening supplier resilience, enabling additively produced replacement parts, enhancing industry competitiveness, and building productivity for a future supply chain that is American based and more agile.
ICYMI: check out the column on AM Forward Neal drafted for ASME, 3D Printing as a National Strategy.
ASTRO Presents Investment Opportunities in SMEs at Small Business Investor Alliance Conference – What’s Next?
Just before the Independence Day holiday, ASTRO America’s CEO, Neal Orringer and Executive Director, Jason Gorey joined current and potential AM Forward partners in New York, at the 2022 SBIA Northeast Private Equity Conference. At the conference, they led a discussion on AM Forward titled, “Leveraging the AM Forward Initiative: Middle Market Advanced Manufacturing Investment Opportunities.”
The panel featured two sections, one providing the perspective of large corporations that have a strong demand for additive products, and another providing the perspective of middle markets where there is a strong desire to fulfill that demand.
SBIA’s Northeast Private Equity Conference is an annual event drawing more than 200 senior investment professionals. This year’s agenda included experienced industry professionals and key small business policymakers, including Associate Administrator Bailey DeVries from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Investment and Innovation, and New York Congresswoman and House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez.
ASTRO looks forward to convening additional discussions on AM Forward – stay tuned for news on this, coming soon!
ASTRO’s Jointless Hull Project: Media Round-Up
ASTRO’s Jointless Hull project has been getting much-deserved media attention lately. In a June 30 piece called, “The Use of Additive Manufacturing in The Defense Sector,” 3D Printing News highlighted the project, wherein we’re building the world’s largest 3D printer with Ingersoll Machine Tool, Siemens, and MELD Manufacturing at Rock Island Arsenal – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center. Reporter Clemens M called the project “a. game. changer.” and we couldn’t agree more!
The project was also highlighted in a June 24 Manufactur3D piece titled, “ASTRO America to manage U.S. Army’s new Jointless Hull Project and deliver a hull-scale tool using Metal 3D Printing,” where the reporter notes that, “this latest award demonstrates ASTRO America’s commitment to correcting broader market failures and delivering state-of-the-art solutions to end customers in order to quickly address warfighter needs.”
We love to see people excited about the work that we are doing. Read about our Jointless Hull project, and other current projects here.