Speaking in Ohio on Friday, President Biden declared his administration’s plan to promote 3D printing (additive manufacturing) as a solution to rising prices and sinking competitiveness of America’s small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
“3D printing technology is incredible,” Biden said, “it can reduce part lead times by as much as 90%, slash material costs by 90%, and cut energy use in half. That all lowers the cost of making goods here in America. But not all small and medium size firms have access to the resources, financing, and support they need to adapt to this technology, until today.”
Through a new initiative Biden introduced called Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward), large manufacturing companies in America pledge to purchase 3D-printed parts from small- to mid-size U.S.-based suppliers and reduce their dependence on overseas factories. The effort will return manufacturing to America and transform shop floors across the country, the administration says.
Several companies have already joined this voluntary compact, including GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Siemens Energy. Each will support their U.S.-based suppliers’ adoption of new 3D printing capabilities. The broad initiative includes training for workers on new additive manufacturing methods and common standards development and certification for additively manufactured products, which has been an industry-wide hurdle.
With the broader adoption of 3D printing, America will create high-paying manufacturing jobs, improve supply chain resilience, keep pace with technological change, and boost its global industrial competitiveness, according to the White House.
“Not enough American companies are using 3D printing or other high-performance production technologies,” the administration said in a statement. “Keeping pace with technological change should not be the capability of a few, or an over-the-horizon goal, out of reach for most of our manufacturing base.”
AM Forward also includes a range of federal programs that U.S. SME manufacturers can use to support their adoption of additive manufacturing capabilities and increase their competitiveness. The Administration’s actions are focused on helping overcome common challenges that have slowed the deployment of AM technologies, particularly among smaller manufacturers.
Undoubtedly thrilled with the news are the makers of additive manufacturing machines and materials.
“Stratasys has been leading the shift to additive manufacturing at production-scale for large manufacturers like GM, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin,” says Rich Garrity, President, Americas at Stratasys, the large 3D printer and material maker. “This new AM Forward initiative is a great way to help give small- to medium-sized manufacturers the confidence to invest in production-scale additive manufacturing technologies and expertise. It is a further signal that we have reached an inflection point in the use of 3D printing in manufacturing applications.”
Bolstering the AM Forward initiative even more is a plan to U.S. Department of Agriculture will make its Business and Industry program available to rural manufacturers to support the purchase of new additive manufacturing machines, along with the training necessary to upskill their workforce. The Export-Import Bank will highlight its new domestic lending program that can help SME manufacturers upgrade their existing production equipment. And the Small Business Administration will work with the participants of AM Forward on loans to support the widespread deployment of new additive manufacturing capabilities across U.S. industry.
“Federal agencies are going to step up with access to loans and education because the private sector has told us that they can’t do it alone,” Biden said.
Advanced technical assistance to adopt 3D printers will come from the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where manufacturers can test new additive techniques, while the Department of Defense will work with America Makes, a DOD-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and AM Forward members on a pilot standardization project. America Makes will also develop curriculum for workforce training in additive manufacturing.
Finally, the administration pledged to back efforts by U.S. Department of Commerce – through the National Institute of Standards and Technology – for high-priority standards for metals-based additive manufacturing and disseminate these results through standards bodies.
While in Ohio, Biden also took the occasion to call for the passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act (BIA), which establishes a Supply Chain Office at the Department of Commerce, supports foundational technologies such as additive manufacturing, and invests in regional tech hubs as well as increasing funding for Manufacturing USA Institutes and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
The full text of the the AM Forward initiative is available at the administration’s website and the full speech from President Biden is viewable on C-SPAN.
Lead image source: C-SPAN
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