The following article appeared on VoxelMatters:
The Applied Science & Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO America) participated in RAPID + TCT 2026 in Boston last week with two featured sessions, covering forward-deployed manufacturing for Indo-Pacific defense operations and advances in metal additive manufacturing quality assurance.
The panel session “Forward-Deployed Manufacturing for Indo-Pacific Readiness: Inside ASTRO America’s GAMMA Initiative,” examined ASTRO America’s Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA).
The program works to build durable AM capacity on the island for part replacement and tooling in support of US submarine forces, and the panel brought together industry and government voices, including ASTRO America President Neal Orringer, Roosevelt Group Principal and former senior congressional staffer Matthew Herrmann, and Justin Rettaliata, PhD, Additive Manufacturing Program Manager for the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program. The panel was moderated by industry expert Debbie Holton.
The discussion covered AM materials characterization, metrology, qualification, and workforce development requirements for Guam, alongside the policy and operational frameworks needed to sustain forward-deployed production in contested and remote environments.
“RAPID + TCT is an ideal venue for a dialogue on using additive manufacturing to meet our most pressing national security needs,” stated Neal Orringer, President and CEO of ASTRO America. “Our panelists could not be clearer — we are committed to bringing just-in-time manufacturing to Guam that will meet critical warfighter needs at the best value to the taxpayer.”
In-situ monitoring comparison targets LPBF process quality
A second session saw Dr. Abdalla Nassar, Vice President and General Manager, ASTRO South, deliver a technical presentation on commercial in-situ monitoring for LPBF and address how process drift and anomalies can be detected during production.
The session drew on a real-world comparison of solutions from Addiguru, Additive Assurance, Applied Optimization, JENTEK Sensors, and Phase3D, conducted through an ASTRO–ASTM–InSPIRE sponsored challenge.
Dr. Nassar’s presentation showed that pairing high-resolution melt pool imaging with near-infrared long-exposure imaging allows for detection of flaws on the order of tens of microns in thin-walled lattice structures — with direct relevance to quality assurance for heat exchangers and similar components.
“Production-grade metal additive manufacturing depends on trustworthy detection, repeatability, and decision-making at the right time in the build,” said Dr. Nassar. “We are excited to share results from a real-world comparison of in-situ monitoring solutions and practical insights into where the commercial state of the art is delivering value today.”