ASTRO America May 2023 Newsletter

Greetings from ASTRO!

In today’s issue:

ASTRO America Wins $1 Million NSF Engines Development Award
ASTRO Partners with Top Florida Universities to Expand 3D Printing in the State and Grow High Tech Jobs
AM Forward Florida Sponsor Companies
Thought Leadership at RAPID
ASTRO’s Neal Orringer Speaks at AMGTA Annual Summit in Chicago

ASTRO America Wins $1 Million NSF Engines Development Award

ASTRO has been awarded a $1 Million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program. ASTRO America is among the more than 40 unique teams to receive one of the first-ever NSF Engines Development Awards, which aim to help partners collaborate to create economic, societal, and technological opportunities for their regions.

Entitled “Advancing Additive Manufacturing Technologies,” our award aims to accelerate supply chains’ adoption of 3D printing across Florida and help grow capabilities in aerospace, defense, and energy sectors. Florida is recognized as a world leader in these key industries; with this grant, ASTRO America will leverage AM Forward partnerships with major corporations to support small and medium sized suppliers’ transition to additive manufacturing. Our team for this project includes four of the nation’s leading minority serving institutions, including Florida International University, the joint Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida.

Neal Orringer spoke about the announcement:

“Florida remains on the cutting edge of science and technology. This initiative will spur further innovation in the field of 3D printing across the State. It will also support job creation, and grow a new generation of engineers and technicians. We could not have better partners in this endeavor than Florida’s universities and business community. We look forward to working with the State and other stakeholders to build a regional innovation engine.”

Tracie Potts, member of ASTRO’s board of directors said:

“I am thrilled to see this major investment in education in my home state of Florida, especially historically black colleges and universities. This could be a game changer for so many communities and budding engineers, and technicians of color across the state and the country.”

Over an 18-month period of performance, we will hold six Florida industrial workshops – three Participant Workshops followed by three Stakeholder Workshops – across the state to discern the best orientation of Florida’s manufacturing innovation ecosystem.

A schedule will be available soon here.

Read the press release here.

ICYMI – additional coverage:

ASTRO Partners with Four of Florida’s Top Universities to Expand 3D Printing in the State and Grow High Tech Jobs

ASTRO is excited to announce our team for this project, including four of the nation’s leading minority serving institutions, including Florida International University, the joint Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida. Our university partners will be relied on to work directly with the leading aerospace and energy companies within the compact.

Here’s what they had to say about the new initiative:

“We are honored to be part of this ‘All-Star’ Florida university consortium, and fulfilling our role in boosting our State’s manufacturing ecosystem. Together with our industry partners, we aim to deliver integrative, aggregated and repeatable solutions that are grounded in demonstrated innovative technologies distinctively aimed to benefit small-to-medium manufacturing suppliers that will help contribute to Florida’s flourishing economy and high-skilled workforce,” said Forrest Masters, Ph.D., P.E., Interim Dean, University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.

“University of Central Florida’s strength in materials engineering and additive manufacturing will benefit this new initiative. We look forward to engaging with our partners in this exciting effort to advance manufacturing capability in Florida and the U.S. through scientific and technological innovations,” said Michael Georgiopoulos, dean, UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science in Orlando.

“There’s many reasons why we are excited to be a part of this important collaboration and the larger aim of advancing AM in these critical sectors,” said Suvranu De, dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. “Our renowned facilities and faculty research at the High-Performance Materials Institute, Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion and Aero-Propulsion, Energy and Mechatronics Center exponentially expand the opportunities. But leveraging the joint nature of our college introduces the unique opportunity to recruit and develop the next-generation of AM engineers. It’s exciting to imagine these engineers coming through the HBCU and top-tier research university ecosystem we have created at this college.”

“This consortium provides Florida with an excellent opportunity to lead efforts to expand the discipline of additive manufacturing (AM) using cutting-edge techniques,” said Arvind Agarwal, Chair of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing. “FIU is excited to contribute by leading efforts to craft novel, hands-on curriculum that will serve to cultivate a superior AM workforce for the future, which will benefit aerospace, defense, marine and biomedical industries.”

AM Forward Florida Sponsor Companies

In addition to partnering with Florida universities, ASTRO’s newly launched Advancing Additive Manufacturing Technologies initiative leverages direct engagement of AM Forward’s sponsor companies.

Leading U.S. corporations, including Boeing, GE Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, and Siemens Energy, that are sponsors of the AM Forward program launched a year ago, have signed letters of intent outlining their specific commitment to help deploy AM Forward Florida. Each will play an important role in AM Florida, informing requirements and future demand for production technology and materials.

Small manufacturer partners include Sintavia and ACMT Aero.

More information on all partners in this effort, including university partners, can be found here.

Read more about AM Forward Florida here.

KUAM News: The Hub: 3D additive printing – a lucrative industry for Guam?

Neal joined Nester Licanto with KUAM News to talk about the Guam Accelerator Program and the release of ASTRO’s Baseline Additive Manufacturing (AM) Readiness Report. The report is the first phase of a 12-month assessment on the viability of establishing industrial additive manufacturing capabilities in Guam.

Watch the interview here.

Thought Leadership at RAPID

ASTRO’s Neal Orringer joined speakers from the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense (DoD) and leading industrial experts to talk about the latest trends in AM, on a panel called, “Large-Scale 3D Printing — The Next Big Thing for Defense Manufacturing,” that 3dPrint called a “must see” as “these individuals and applications [being discussed] are shaping the direction of the industry at this very moment.”

They talked about how large-scale metal and hybrid manufacturing can augment supply chain readiness and pave the way for smarter, stronger products. Neal and moderator LJ Holmes introduced attendees to the metal hybrid manufacturing systems produced for the Jointless Hull Project — one of which has a build volume of almost 30 ft x 20 ft x 12 ft.

ASTRO’s Neal Orringer Speaks at AMGTA Annual Summit in Chicago

ASTRO’s Neal Orrringer spoke to members of Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) at the Annual Summit on May 1st in Chicago. The event is focused on driving sustainable practices in additive manufacturing.

The AMGTA is a non-commercial, unaffiliated organization open to any additive manufacturer or industry stakeholder that meets certain criteria relating to sustainability of production or process.

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