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 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

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.

Jan. 6, 2022

Powering the Clean Economy

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

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. 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.

April 26, 2021

AFRL Materials scientist receives NextFlex 2021 Fellow Award

Dr. Jeremy Ward, a scientist at Wright-Patterson’s Air Force Research Laboratory, has received a 2021 Fellow Award from NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute. Ward was one of four recipients.

March 1, 2021

Naval Postgraduate School and Xerox Collaborate to Advance Additive Manufacturing Solutions

MONTEREY , Calif — In January 2021, the Department of Defense published its first-ever Additive Manufacturing Strategy to “provide a shared set of guiding principles and a framework for [additive manufacturing] technology development and transition to support modernization and Warfighter readiness” across the military.

Sept. 10, 2020

DOD Officials Describe Modernization Priorities That Will Benefit Warfighters

Defense Department officials spoke about the DOD's modernization strategy, including the development and procurement of high priority systems that could potentially offer game-changing results on the battlefield.

June 16, 2020

Maintenance fab flight awarded Squadron Innovation Funds for 3D printer

YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio — Logistics In Action: Article originally appeared on the Youngstown Air Reserve Center website — The 910th Maintenance Group was recently awarded $72 thousand to advance its additive manufacturing capabilities through the purchase of an AON3D printer.

June 11, 2020

Department of Defense and NextFlex sign new cooperative agreement

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Research Laboratory and NextFlex recently

April 28, 2020

DLA expands DOD additive manufacturing tool in fight against COVID-19

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — A Defense Logistics Agency tool that consolidates the Defense Department’s technical data packages for advance manufacturing could be a new weapon in the battle against COVID-19.

Dec. 6, 2019

DLA leaders highlight research, development efforts at Defense Manufacturing Conference

Phoenix, Arizona — Leaders from government, industry and academia met in Arizona this week for the four-day Defense Manufacturing Conference, based on the theme “Defense Manufacturing Focused on Warfighter Dominance.”

June 26, 2019

AFRL and partners reclaim obsolete aircraft parts using advanced manufacturing technology

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Logistics In Action: Article originally appeared on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base website — The average age of Air Force aircraft is over 28 years according to Assessment of Military Power, 2018. This creates a constant requirement for components needing repair or replacement. Parts can be difficult to acquire when original suppliers are no longer in existence and new suppliers have no desire to produce low volume quantities.

May 10, 2018

AFRL demos advanced robotics for aerospace manufacturing

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio –  Engineers from the Manufacturing Technologies Division, Air

Feb. 2, 2018

AFRL, NextFlex leverage open-source community to create flexible circuit system

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio –  Lightweight, low-cost and flexible electronic systems are

Jan. 6, 2017

Embracing opportunity: additive technology for manufacturing

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – It’s a materials scientist’s dream, but as some experts say,

July 29, 2016

Air Force researching advanced manufacturing techniques for aircraft parts replacement

This will be the first project under a new five-year cooperative agreement between the Air Force Research Laboratory and America Makes, which was created to help advance the U.S. 3D printing industry, also known as additive manufacturing. In order to deal with challenges related to the sustainment of its fleet of aircraft and aircraft support vehicles and machinery, this project will focus on additive manufacturing and related advanced manufacturing techniques such as reverse engineering tools, 3D scanners, CAD software and non-destructive evaluation systems. The America Makes Public-Private Partnership model provides unique opportunities to leverage current member investments and to better align the internal research and development activities of industrial, academic, and government partners to a national additive technology roadmap.