Two U.S. manufacturers, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, join Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward) and are committed to helping smaller U.S. based suppliers increase their use of Additive Manufacturing. AM Forward is a voluntary compact among large manufacturers that was launched by President Biden in Cincinnati, OH on May 6th. AM Forward is organized and supported by the Applied Science & Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO America), a non-profit organization.
While U.S. manufacturing is making a comeback, not enough American companies are adopting 3D printing or other high-performance advanced manufacturing technologies, which have the power to transform shop floors across the country and improve suppliers’ global competitiveness. That’s where AM Forward comes in.
“A priority of this Administration is to lower the cost of the goods and services that families rely on, and one of the best ways to do that is to make more things in America, with more secure and more resilient supply chains,” said Sue Helper, Senior Advisor for Industrial Strategy, White House Office of Management and Budget. “AM Forward focuses on additive manufacturing to help us achieve these goals. We applaud Boeing and Northrop Grumman for recognizing the benefits of promoting additive manufacturing in their supply chains and for making public commitments to support broader adoption.”
“The supply chain crisis isn’t just about improving our ports. It’s also about innovating shop floors – right here in America’s small business factories,” said Neal Orringer, President of ASTRO America. “We look forward to working with Boeing and Northrop Grumman to advance AM Forward. These companies are leaders who are taking special care of their suppliers and boosting America’s competitiveness.”
Through AM Forward, each of these major US companies make clear, public commitments to purchase additively produced parts from smaller U.S.-based suppliers; train the workers of their suppliers on new additive technologies; provide detailed technical assistance to support their suppliers’ adoption of new capabilities; and engage in development of common standards and certification for additive products.
Among other public commitments:
● Boeing will target an increase of Boeing qualified small and medium sized supplier capacity by 30% and provide technical guidance to meet Boeing and industry qualification requirements including delta qualifications; and target small/medium sized suppliers to compete on request for quote (RFQ) packages sent out for products utilizing additive manufacturing technologies.
● Northrop Grumman will target 50% of RFQ packages sent out for products, machinery, manufacturing tooling, and/or manufacturing process development utilizing additive or related technologies to be competed by US-based SMM suppliers; and target the external sourcing of additively manufactured processes and parts from a SMM supplier.
“We know the competitiveness of the U.S. industrial base, including Boeing, relies on the capability of a wide spectrum of suppliers producing and post-processing critical aerospace parts,” said Dr. Melissa Orme, Vice President of Boeing Additive Manufacturing. “Through AM Forward, we are confident we can collaboratively accelerate AM adoption at scale; increase the agility, capacity, and resiliency of U.S. supply chains; and support and expand good-paying jobs across the U.S.”
“Additive manufacturing (AM) is a leading-edge production technology that is foundational to U.S. global competitiveness and manufacturing resiliency. It enables new designs and sustainment paradigms,” said Matt Bromberg, Corporate Vice President, Global Operations, Northrop Grumman. “We know that the competitiveness of the U.S. defense industrial base relies on the capability of thousands of small to medium size manufacturers (SMM) producing and post-processing critical aerospace parts. Through AM Forward, government and industry can work together to adopt additive manufacturing at scale, increasing the agility, capacity, and resiliency of U.S. supply chains and supporting and sustaining jobs across the United States.”
With the additions of Boeing and Northrop Grumman, AM Forward now totals seven iconic US manufacturers, a group that also includes GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, and Siemens Energy.
More information on AM Forward, including each corporation’s letter of commitment, can be found here.
To learn more about Boeing, please visit www.boeing.com.
To find out more about Northrop Grumman, please visit www.northropgrumman.com.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPResso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
