July 25, 2022

Additively Manufactured Hardware Produced Under the AMNOW Program Undergoing Flight Test on Operational Aircraft

July 20, 2022 — Two additively manufactured (3D printed) cargo links were installed on two operational MH-47G aircraft at Fort Campbell, KY in support of an extended flight test program. The cargo links were manufactured from a high-strength aluminum alloy 7A77 under NCDMM’s AMNOW program and represent the first Army-developed metallic AM aircraft parts to be flown on Army aircraft.

June 30, 2022

DOD Accelerating Innovative Technologies, Enabling Manufacturing Workforce

DOD's Manufacturing Technology Program drives the advancement of critical manufacturing technologies that support national security and grows manufacturing ecosystems that underpin U.S. supply chains.

June 15, 2022

Congressional Action Can Help DOD Weather Microelectronics Supply Crunch 

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill can help the Defense Department make it through supply shortages for microchips and microelectronics both now and into the future, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said.  

London June 14, 2022

London Tech Bridge Breaks Down Barriers With New Collaboration Space

The U.K.-based Tech Bridge hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 13 to celebrate the grand opening of its innovation hub. The London Tech Bridge (LTB) will leverage partnerships with the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global (ONR Global) and Royal Navy Office of the Chief Technology Officer to foster connectivity, agility and innovation. The location will sponsor dialogue, joint investment and cooperative development between the two navies.

June 7, 2022

Faster, Cheaper, Stronger: Navy Engineers Discuss Impact of Additive Manufacturing at NSWC Dahlgren Division

DAHLGREN, Va. — Mechanical engineers have for decades relied on physical prototyping to catch issues from the

June 1, 2022

Local Partnerships Can Build STEM Workforce Development in Your District

A proven program, known as FlexFactor, helps students gain a deeper understanding of STEM and the advanced manufacturing sector. “FlexFactor guides student teams to explore emerging technologies and entrepreneurial thinking through an inquiry-based approach where they examine the lifecycle of a product. The process begins with a specific problem’s identification, then progressing to a potential technological solution including a traditional business case, that vets an opportunity based on projected demand, distribution partnerships and a forecasted return on investment for a given solution,” said Courtney Power, Workforce Development Portfolio Manager at NextFlex.

May 19, 2022

MxD Announces Partnership with Rock Island Arsenal for Modernization Program

May 17, 2022 — MxD has officially launched the Rock Island Arsenal Modernization Program, created to assess, develop, pilot, and implement a common set of tools to modernize legacy manufacturing and maintenance facilities at Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA-JMTC). This partnership was made possible through the support of U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS).

April 22, 2022

Attracting STEM Talent for Careers in Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing has long been a driver of innovation and economic growth in the U.S. Now, as advanced manufacturing evolves with new careers involving robotics, automation and AI, workforce development has taken on increasing importance. The manufacturing sector increasingly needs workers with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to program and operate complex machinery, and conduct research and development. The Manufacturing USA® network has successfully accelerated technology and scale-up, and supported small and medium-sized manufacturers to gain access to opportunities, and built out unique advanced manufacturing ecosystems. The network’s large-scale public-private collaboration is being employed in scores of projects to expose students of all ages to STEM careers and equip workers with the necessary skills in advanced manufacturing in robotics, automation, and AI. Read about it here: https://www.manufacturingusa.com/studies/attracting-STEM-talent-careers-advanced-manufacturing

April 20, 2022

DOD aims to close gap in bringing U.S. tech innovation to market

WASHINGTON — With the U.S. currently responsible for only about 12% of global microelectronics production, the Defense Department-led "microelectronics commons" aims to close the gaps that prevent the best ideas in technology from reaching the market.

April 4, 2022

Pentagon's Top Industrial Base and Nuclear Defense Leader Tours Critical Materials Sites and Defense Labs

In support of the Defense Department's focus on increasing domestic production of critical materials, a senior DOD official visited key production sites and defense laboratories during a recent west coast trip.  

February 28, 2022 Feb. 28, 2022

Addressing Infrastructure Needs Through Sustainable Innovation

Applying research to develop manufacturing technologies has long been a route to bridge gaps to help solve America’s challenges. That has been the case as manufacturers initially scaled mass production, through the birth of advanced manufacturing, to the emergence of connected devices gathering data to produce predictive analytics. Now, thanks to the collaborative approaches among Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, university research departments and private sector partners, we are literally transforming the way we build bridges.

Feb. 15, 2022

Invigorating an Established Yet Fragile Textile Industry

Textile product manufacturers have seen little development or adoption of production-based technology advances over the past two decades, as the costs to move labor-intensive production overseas are often lower than the cost to invest in developing needed automation. DoD MII AFFOA is transforming traditional fibers, yarns and textiles into highly sophisticated, integrated, and networked devices and systems, enabling novel products and business models that leverage fabrics as a service, with DoD MII ARM contributing robotics technology innovation.

Feb. 1, 2022

Simplified human/machine interfaces top list of critical DOD technologies

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department's chief technology officer said she's interested in developing better ways to simplify the way service members use the technology they are given in order to reduce the training burden and learning curve.

Jan. 20, 2022

The Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Defense Industrial Base

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a number of challenges on countries and industries, some of which have been partially mitigated by government efforts, medical developments, and corporate strategies. Nevertheless, COVID-19, which, in March 2020, was identified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization and was declared by the U.S. government as a national emergency,1 will likely continue to have after-effects in the coming years.

Jan. 6, 2022

Powering the Clean Economy

The DoD MIIs and other institutes in the Manufacturing USA network are responding to the need for

Dec. 13, 2021

DoD ManTech at the 2021 Defense Manufacturing Conference!

Leaders and innovators across government and industry are talking manufacturing policy, strategy,

Dec. 13, 2021

2021 Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Awards

The Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program (DoD ManTech) and the Joint Defense

Dec. 13, 2021

Rebuilding the Domestic Supply Chain for Semiconductors

The Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (DoD MIIs) and other institutes within

Dec. 6, 2021

DOD Must Act Early to Extract Much-Needed Tech From Nation's Industrial Base

America's technology companies make a lot of great products and DOD must get in early and let these companies know what it needs to secure what’s valuable to warfighters, a defense official said.

Dec. 1, 2021

Eye on Innovation: Pedal to the Metal Printing: Norfolk Naval Shipyard Makes Strides in Developing Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence

NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Portsmouth, Va. — Innovation is one of the leading focuses for the Department of the Navy, the enterprise coming

Nov. 30, 2021

MIIs Connect Manufacturers and Workers Through Technology

As demand increases for skilled manufacturing labor to meet accelerating technological change,

Nov. 24, 2021

Air Force Research Lab working to develop future workforce

Ensuring a steady supply of technical and scientific expertise for American industry and innovation has been a national priority since about 1957 when the Soviet Union launched its first Sputnik. Today, however, with the increasingly rapid pace of high technology, the need to attract young people to the field of advanced technical manufacturing has become even more critical. To meet that need, the Air Force Research Lab recently tasked NextFlex with finding ways to attract students who might not otherwise consider such a career path.

Nov. 23, 2021

Commerce Secretary Meets to Discuss Advanced Manufacturing Education

On November 30, 2021, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Department of Defense Manufacturing

Nov. 9, 2021

DOD, with help from partners, on cusp of cutting-edge innovations

WASHINGTON — Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, bioengineering and other leap-ahead technologies were topics recently addressed by the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.