Biden Administration Launches AM Forward Program to Support Full Adoption of 3D Printing Technology by U.S. Small and Medium Enterprises

Introduction: In 2013, the then US President Barack Obama emphasized in his State of the Union address3D printingThe importance of technology, hopefully through3D printingThe development of technology will bring manufacturing back to the United States to create more jobs. After a lapse of 9 years, the current US President Biden once again proposed a support plan for the application of additive manufacturing technology.

Biden announces AM Forward initiative

On May 7, 2022, the Biden administration of the United States promulgated the accelerated development3D printing technologyThe plan (AM Forward), the large equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the United States will fully support the use of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)3D printing technology, to help them improve their industrial manufacturing capabilities and solve supply chain problems. These large manufacturers include GE (General Electric), Lockheed (Lockheed), Raytheon (Thor),
siemens
能源(
Siemens
energy
), Honeywell and Northrup Grumman. At the same time, the program is open to all OEM manufacturers, as long as they support and adopt 3D printing technology.

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing. The technology is used to build parts directly from digital models. It can be used on a variety of materials, including plastics and metals, among others. This approach removes some of the design constraints that part designers typically face when using traditional production processes such as machining, casting, or other forming processes. It is possible to manufacture parts with buried holes or curved channels that cannot be manufactured with conventional machining.

U.S. SMEs are slow to adopt 3D printing

3D printing has come a long way in the past decade, and it is already making its mark in large-scale industrial manufacturing. Large-scale 3D printing manufacturers like GE Aviation have really embraced it, using it to make fuel nozzles like LEAP engines (used on the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 series) and low-pressure turbine blades.

Meanwhile, some companies have adopted 3D printing to produce castings, but many SMEs have been slow to adopt it.because
invest
new3D printerand
software
The development of SMEs needs to bear certain debt and financial risks, which makes many small and medium-sized enterprises want to try but dare not take risks. Another reason is that these companies also do not necessarily have the technical capabilities to install and use additive manufacturing tools.

The above is the core reason why the Biden administration launched the AM Forward plan.The government leads the mutual assistance of “public contracts” between large OEMs and other suppliers, aiming to invest in research and development of new 3D printing equipment, cultivate professional
talent
provide technical assistance and agree to participate
standard
formulate. Most importantly, large 3D printing manufacturers will provide procurement “demand signals” that stimulate SMEs.Universal
aviation
Said that 30% of its total external procurement of additive manufacturing parts will be aimed at U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises, Raytheon Technology will be 50%, and similarly,
Siemens
energy
Additive manufacturing parts procurement is 20-40%.

Other public commitments include:

1. GE Aviation will cooperate with small and medium-sized suppliers in the use of 3D printing or related technologies (50% of product quotation requirements), and will purchase 30% of additive manufacturing parts from US small and medium-sized suppliers;

2. Raytheon will seek SME manufacturers to participate in more than 50% of requests for quotations for additively manufactured products; it will also simplify and speed up the procurement process for additively manufactured parts;

3. Siemens Energy aims to source 20-40% of its additive manufacturing parts and services from U.S. suppliers and partners. It will work with 10-20 U.S. SME suppliers to help increase their additive manufacturing capabilities.10-20 SME suppliers will also be inspected and
post-processing
Related Practices
training
Wait.

4. Lockheed Martin will work with SME suppliers to conduct research to improve the performance of additive manufacturing, and will focus on the development of alternatives to casting and forging processes. At the same time, it will further participate in the cultivation of 3D printing talents in universities, including curriculum and apprenticeship development;

5. Honeywell will also support the development of small and medium-sized suppliers in the United States, which require quotations for products, machinery, manufacturing tools or process development of 3D printing or related technologies. It will also provide technical assistance to its SME suppliers in parts design, data generation, machine operation, post-processing, parts inspection/quality management.

To further support the AM Forward policy, the Biden administration has also enacted a series of government support programs that U.S. SME manufacturers can use to acquire additive manufacturing and improve their core competitiveness. They include:

1. For SME manufacturers
financing
Channel: Support the installation of 3D printing equipment by reducing costs. To address this, the USDA will provide rural manufacturers with a commercial and industrial program to support the purchase of new 3D printing equipment, as well as the training needed to improve craftsmen. The Exim Bank plans to help SMEs upgrade their existing production equipment. The Small Business Administration will work with AM Forward participants on the 504 loan program and the Small Business Investment Corporation (SBIC) program;

2. Provide SME manufacturers with technical assistance from the government and 3D printing equipment manufacturers: SME manufacturers have noticed the need for technical assistance to maximize the use of3D printerand other technical advantages.

In support of the AM Forward program, the Department of Energy will provide a manufacturing demonstration site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for small and medium-sized manufacturers to test new 3D printing technologies. The Department of Defense (DOD) will use its Mentor Protection Program to reimburse large OEMs for all aspects. Concurrently, the DOD Manufacturing Technology Program Office will collaborate with Made in America (a DOD-sponsored Institute for Manufacturing Innovation) and members of AM Forward;

3. Invest in additive manufacturing talent development: In order to fully benefit from the capabilities of additive manufacturing, SME manufacturers must train their employees to varying degrees to improve the professional skills of their workers. As a result, Made in America will develop a 3D printing talent training course with AM Forward participants and will launch an additive manufacturing apprenticeship program with the U.S. Department of Labor;

4. Develop industry standards: Finally, as 3D printing requires different standards and process certifications, the U.S. Department of Commerce, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will uniformly develop standards to overcome the widespread use of metal-based materials. hindrance. Plans to lead standards development with ASTM International, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and others, and distribute these to AM Forward participant standards bodies.

The Biden administration also encouraged Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act. At the same time, the White House said in a statement issued on the same day: “AM Forward will enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the United States through the use of additive manufacturing technology to create and maintain high-paying manufacturing. jobs and increase the resilience of supply chains, thereby reducing costs for American households.”

Should China follow suit?

In recent years, my country’s central and local governments have successively launched a series of support for additive manufacturing technology and industries.
policy
the additive manufacturing industry has also developed rapidly. According to the data of the China Additive Manufacturing Industry Alliance, in 2021, my country’s additive manufacturing enterprises will
revenue
It is about 26.5 billion yuan, with an average growth rate of 30% in the past four years, which is 10 percentage points higher than the global average annual compound growth rate of 20.4%.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics: “China’s additive manufacturing enterprises above designated size will increase from more than 20 in 2016 to more than 100 in 2021.
revenue
The number of enterprises with more than 100 million has exceeded 40. “

However, in the manufacturing industry of more than 30 trillion yuan in China, additive manufacturing is still a drop in the ocean. Although the advantages of additive manufacturing are gradually emerging, there is still huge potential that has not been tapped. This industry still needs a long time to develop. , also requires greater support.

Compared with the additive manufacturing industry in the United States, Chinese companies still have a lot of room for improvement.
Xue Boyu recently compared 14 3D printing listed companies around the world
7 of the 14 publicly traded head 3D printing companies are located in the United States, including
VELO3D
Shapeways Holdings, Proto Labs, Organovo,
Markforged
and
Desktop Metal
and the current world
market value
the highest3D printing company
3D Systems
. Voxeljet, SLM solution and
materialise
Based in Europe, Stratasys, Nano Dimension and Massivit are from Israel,
Blite
from China.

At the same time, there are certain differences in the manufacturing industry between China and the United States. It happened that a discussion in this regard was held in the Antarctic bear community recently. Some Xiong friends expressed their own opinions, which are also some of the emotions of practitioners over the years.

(responsible editor: admin)