In this month’s issue:
ASTRO Announces FSU Partnership
ASTRO Hosts Stakeholder Meetings for GAMMA Project
ASTRO’s AM Forward Initiative Receives Approval for Private Equity Fund
GAMMA Guam Student Update
ASTRO in the News
Coming Up
ASTRO America Announces Major Partnership with Florida State University, Helps Launch National Manufacturing Accelerator
New facility will serve as crucial hub for ASTRO’s ‘AM Forward’ industry collaboration, development of critical U.S. supply chains
On October 30, 2024, ASTRO America announced its selection by Florida State University (FSU) to help establish the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, and Education (InSPIRE) as a major center for aerospace and defense manufacturing research and education in northwest Florida. For its part, ASTRO America is tasked with collaboratively designing the facility’s factory equipment layout, managing InSPIRE’s industry and government collaborations and embeds, and helping prioritize applied research that will maximize U.S. industrial productivity, national security, and regional economic development.
This announcement coincides with ASTRO America’s decision to establish the headquarters of its signature Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward) technology program in Panama City, Florida. Launched in May 2022 by ASTRO America President Neal Orringer alongside President Biden, AM Forward is a compact of several major corporations and government agencies to enhance supply chain resilience through the adoption of metal additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.
“Florida State University is a national leader in aero-propulsion research,” said Orringer. “Together with ASTRO’s advanced manufacturing network and expertise, we will build a model public-private partnership to boost competitiveness for America’s aerospace and defense sector and ensure robust economic growth in America’s Gulf Coast Region.”
What will set this center apart from other University-affiliated laboratories will be a flexible, fully built- out, end-to-end production environment for advanced manufacturing, combined with advanced aerodynamic and propulsion test facilities including a supersonic to hypersonic wind tunnel for advanced, in-situ test and evaluation.
“This partnership between FSU and ASTRO America is a critical step in laying the foundation for InSPIRE to have a generational impact on the entire Northwest Florida region,” said InSPIRE Executive Director, Farrukh S. Alvi, PhD.
InSPIRE will be led by a team of advanced manufacturing, aerospace testing, and workforce development experts with a track record of success in leading large-scale, high-profile innovation and technology transition efforts. Key personnel will be announced in the coming weeks.
ASTRO America Hosts Stakeholder Meetings for Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA) Project
On October 17, 2024, ASTRO America hosted an on-island working meeting to provide updates on the production facility and workforce training initiative– Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA). The full-day workshop brought together leaders in higher education, economic development, and business, as well as key U.S. military stakeholders to discuss GAMMA’s planned design, operation, and mission.
“Guam remains one of our nation’s foremost locations for U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific. GAMMA aims to enhance their access to parts and supplies that may otherwise be difficult to source quickly in a remote area,” shared ASTRO President Neal Orringer. “Through this initiative, we are putting in place advanced technology and a strong talent pipeline that will deliver on-demand part production at our forces’ point-of-need.”
Melanie Mendiola, CEO and Administrator of the Guam Economic Development Authority, delivered the keynote address on the significance of an industrial 3D printing capability on Guam that will position the island as a manufacturing and training hub for a growing U.S. shipbuilding supplier base in the region.
In July, ASTRO America delivered an implementation plan to build the on-island center that will feature workforce development and education; component testing and evaluation; and manufacturing business incubation and support. As has been detailed previously, the center is expected to be fully running in three years with a satellite campus of a leading mainland U.S. engineering university operating on Guam and helping confer relevant degrees and certificates to students in concert with other on-island institutions.
While in Guam, ASTRO America’s GAMMA team visited several officials from the U.S. Government, University of Guam, Guam Community College, and Guam Economic Development Authority. Overall progress was made in identifying potential facility locations and infrastructure needs as well as crucial next steps for curriculum development and organizational agreements.
More information on the Guam Accelerator Project can be found here, and the full release is here.
ASTRO America’s AM Forward Initiative Receives Final Approval for Private Equity Fund
On October 22, 2024, ASTRO America executives joined senior officials from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Small Business Administration (SBA) at the Pentagon to mark a major milestone in its “AM Forward” initiative. This effort, launched by ASTRO President Neal Orringer and U.S. President Joseph R. Biden in May 2022, accelerates small businesses’ adoption of additive manufacturing (“AM”, or 3D printing) technology to advance key aerospace and defense supply chains across the country.
The announcement of final federal approval for the Fund (formally known as the ‘Stifel North Atlantic AM-Forward Fund’) marks a historic moment in the nation’s effort to build, scale and accelerate public-private investments in critical technologies, a key component of AM Forward. This Fund, earning a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) license in partnership with the DOD under the SBIC Critical Technology (SBICCT) initiative, aims to use a range of financing structures targeted to the specific needs of small businesses, with a focus on increasing additive and advanced manufacturing capabilities in the domestic supply chain. The initial investors of the Fund include significant capital commitments from industry-leading companies Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, and ASTM International, among others.
“Two years ago, we launched AM Forward to build up resilience in America’s key supply chains,” said Neal Orringer, President of ASTRO America. “Our partners– most notably, Lockheed Martin and GE Aerospace– have demonstrated what it means to be strong stewards of America’s Defense Industrial Base. Today, we are grateful to have them and two other critical organizations, Stifel North Atlantic and ASTM International, contributing important resources, expertise, and mentorship to support the backbone of America’s economy– small and medium sized manufacturers.”
ASTRO leads AM Forward’s implementation– a compact of seven leading companies as well as key federal agencies– focused on helping small businesses expand their adoption of metal 3D printing technology through: access to capital, machine validation processes called “qualification,” and workforce development. ASTRO selected Stifel North Atlantic (NYSE: SF) as the financial partner to support AM Forward’s access-to-capital efforts by managing the Fund, based on its rich history of support for small and middle market companies and extensive experience managing SBIC Funds. ASTRO leadership will serve on the Fund’s Technical Advisory Board.
“We are pleased to receive this license from the SBA,” said Victor Nesi, Stifel Co-President. “In collaboration with our strategic partners, we are proud to give America’s emerging small businesses the capital and strategic support they need to advance innovation that supports our supply chain, creates domestic jobs, amplifies manufacturing capacity and importantly, increases national security.”
The Fund aims to use a range of financing structures targeted to the specific needs of small businesses. The initial funding for the Fund includes significant capital commitments from industry-leading contractors including Lockheed Martin, General Electric Aerospace, and ASTM International, among others.
Earlier this year, ASTRO and Stifel North America announced the Fund became the first recipient to receive an initial ‘green light’ to raise private capital under the SBIC Critical Technologies (“SBICCT”) program.
ASTRO President Neal Orringer joins ASTM International, Lockheed Martin, and Stifel to celebrate federal approval of the “Stifel North Atlantic AM-Forward Fund” outside the Pentagon.
Guam GAMMA Student Update
ASTRO America is partnered with the Government of Guam, BlueForge Alliance, and the U.S. Navy to develop a Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA) center. This effort advances U.S. national security by enabling parts on-demand to forward-deployed Navy forces. But it will also help support economic development, with a new mechanical engineering education center, advanced production facility, and testing/evaluation capabilities.
As part of this effort, ASTRO has helped bring five Guam residents to Virginia where they are now enrolled in the U.S. Navy’s twenty-two week advanced manufacturing program within the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM). Through this program, these students receive hands-on technician-level training. Following this coursework, ASTRO will immerse the students in a research environment to learn about manufacturing and industrial part inspection laboratories at US-based universities and centers. Our hope is that these students will represent the new generation of manufacturers who will help lead Guam’s additive manufacturing revolution.
Each month, we’re proud to feature one of the students who shares what it means to be a part of this historic effort to bring AM capabilities to Guam:
Nathaine Caballes is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in both Civil Engineering and Pre-Architecture. He became interested in 3D printing around five years ago after witnessing others use it in prop-making. Over the last three years, he’s been 3D printing as a hobby and recently started seriously thinking about pursuing it as a career. He’s thrilled to be here now, participating in a program that he never thought possible. He hopes this experience in particular will open up job opportunities that he previously would have never known about, and hopes to build connections with industry professionals along the way.
He credits his family with keeping him grounded, and he feels lucky his professor noticed his diligent work ethic, which led to his participation in this program. He’s excited that Guam is advancing in such a way that he personally wouldn’t have thought would happen so soon, and believes in the boundless opportunities this will afford the people of Guam. In Nathaine’s free time, he enjoys playing video games and using his 3D printer, longboarding, snorkeling, and surfing.
ASTRO in the News
While in Guam for the GAMMA working meeting, ASTRO’s President Neal Orringer was a guest on “The Ray Gibson Show” to talk about additive manufacturing and the future of the island’s manufacturing workforce. Stream it here 🎙️
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Several outlets reported on ASTRO’s successful working meeting, including the Pacific Daily News, citing “overall progress was made in identifying potential facility locations and infrastructure needs as well as crucial next steps for curriculum development and organizational agreements.” KUAM News reported on the meeting more generally, writing that “GAMMA aims to both promote U.S. national security and put in place resources that will help grow a high-tech industry in Guam over the long term.” 🇬🇺
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Lastly, as previously mentioned, ASTRO celebrated the final federal approval of the “Stifel North Atlantic AM-Forward Fund,” which was covered by VoxelMatters, 3D Printing Industry, and Yahoo Finance. 💰
Coming Up
- Defense Manufacturing Conference (December 2-5 – Austin)
- RAPID+TCT (April 8-10, 2025 – Detroit)