In the healthcare industry, computational modeling and simulation (CM&S) is gaining in use for understanding, designing, and optimizing medical devices and processes, allowing for efficiently tackling key questions related to patient safety, product quality and effectiveness, and regulatory compliance. Multiphysics simulation, in particular, helps engineers to accurately represent how devices and drugs interact with the human body.

In this eBook, you will learn how four teams from around the world are using CM&S to create safe and effective medical devices while reducing costs and the need for in vitro and in vivo testing.

Topics include:

• MRI Systems
• Ablation Technology
• Safety of Medical Implants
• Wearable Systems
• Hemocompatible Pump
• Design Optimization

Your download is sponsored by COMSOL.

*Please see www.comsol.com/privacy for COMSOL’s Privacy Policy. Contact COMSOL at www.comsol.com/contact for more information. Note that COMSOL will follow up with all registrants about this eBook and any related questions.

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This simple, quick guide not only underscores the critical importance of prioritizing security but also advocates for a proactive “security-first” approach throughout the manufacturing process of connected devices. It emphasizes the principle of security by design, urging manufacturers to integrate robust security measures from the outset rather than treating it as an afterthought. Through this proactive stance, devices can better withstand the evolving threat landscape, ensuring the integrity and reliability of IoT ecosystems for both businesses and consumers alike.

Your download is sponsored by DigiCert.

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This white paper illustrates how to attain higher image quality, speed and accuracy using plane wave and synthetic aperture imaging with Versal adaptive SoCs from AMD. These approaches offer substantial frame rate improvements and accuracy. The white paper also highlights how deep learning algorithms can be used for further improvements.

Your download is sponsored by Avnet and AMD.

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This eBook illustrates how AMD is leading the industry in differentiating healthcare products with low-latency and deterministic processing for higher-quality image processing. The broad portfolio of SoCs and processors provide the efficiency and functional safety your application needs.

Your download is sponsored by Avnet and AMD.

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AMD provides a wide range of functionality in its hardware and software development resources which are strategically designed to meet medical standards. The Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platforms adhere to the IEC 61508 and IEC 62443 standards. Discover the valuable opportunity for medical device developers to align with the joint objectives of reliability and protection in electronic healthcare systems with this white paper.

Your download is sponsored by Avnet and AMD.

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Models showing the pressure from the foot on the outsole during the toe-off phase of the walking gait cycle. (Source: Hexagon.)

In today’s virtual-for-everything research and development world, it is no surprise there is an initiative that focuses on the virtual human. The virtual human has many practical applications such as the study and prevention of trauma or the improvement of diagnosis and surgical techniques. With multi-scale analysis, tissues, limbs, body sections, or complete human models can be used for virtual testing.

The Laboratory of Biomechanics and Application (LBA) is a joint research unit between the Université Gustave Eiffel’s transport, health, safety department and the Aix-Marseille Faculty of Medicine. LBA is located on the premises of the Faculty of Medicine in the northern Marseille Health Center in France. The multi-disciplinary approach in this laboratory combines both engineering and medical science expertise to focus on human impact biomechanics. Supported by 39 collaborating research staff, the LBA is designing tools and human models for virtual testing to achieve their own vision of a “Virtual Human.” Their practical research has taken root in the real world affecting clinical and surgical settings, as well as transportation safety.

An Orthopedic Challenge

The virtual human and limb models created by LBA have practical applications for injury prevention analysis and clinical settings. A developed foot-limb model is currently being used for emerging medical applications such as optimizing orthopedic insoles that can be easily 3D printed right in the clinic. Researchers utilize up to seven different engineering software programs to comprehensively model the dynamics of a realistic walking gait. A digital twin model of the patient’s foot can be leveraged to gain insights on how to improve insoles for a patient’s specific needs. The adjusted custom insole can maximize the intended effect of the insole and the comfort of the patient.

The current foot model requires significant time to accurately render the effects of the insole. LBA used a CAE-centric platform, ODYSSEE CAE from Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, to leverage the model and provide easy-to-understand, instantaneous feedback as needed by clinical podiatrists. This platform allows users to apply machine learning, artificial intelligence, reduced order modeling and design optimization to workflows and create cost effective digital twins based on CAE simulation data and physical test data. Complex engineering questions can be answered in real-time that would ordinarily take hundreds of hours to simulate and analyze.

Walking Toward the Solution

The LBA’s foot model provides a complete examination of the patient’s walking gait. The analysis of the walking dynamics was conducted by dividing the gait into four phases, then accounting for details caused by the different properties of bone, soft plantar tissue, skin tissue, ligaments, joint placement, joint stiffness, and the ground. The parameters of the foot and insole models were modified according to the measurements of the patient’s foot. This adjustment creates the numerical (digital) twin of the actual patient, mimicking any kind of foot geometry, gait, and walking pattern.

Utilizing the same CAE software, LBA used thirty simulations of the original foot model to create a reduced order model that accommodates any foot geometry and accurately reproduces the dynamics of the patient’s walking gait. The sensitivity studies of the reduced model showed the parameters with the largest effect on the gait. The software was able to generate near instantaneous feedback using the reduced order model, increasing the usefulness of the model to clinicians.

Enhanced Care and Comfort Results

Real-time analysis feedback aids podiatrists in providing the best possible care to their patients. The resulting reduced foot model accurately predicts the dynamic response of the comprehensive model in less than one second compared to the four hours needed to resolve the full model. The predictions of the reduced model matched very closely the center of pressure displacement observed in the original model. The ability to digitally match different insole designs to the patient’s foot and observe the effects in real time allows for rapid optimization of the design to reach the intended effect.

(Source: Hexagon.)

Custom insoles can also be enhanced with differing materials, local densities, and geometries to best meet the patient’s needs. The reduced model has also shown promise in improving the outsoles of some sport shoes. Another major benefit of using digital twin foot models is the ease of 3D printing the custom insole. The practical application of LBA’s foot model has been accentuated through CAE real-time predictive analysis, and this approach has been successfully implemented in partnering podiatric clinics.

To learn more, visit Hexagon.com.

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A startup called Esper Bionics is looking to use technology to expand human capabilities at scale. In its quest to develop new devices, the company is starting with a self-learning robotic hand for people with limb differences.

Currently, there are an estimated two million people with limb loss in the U.S. alone, and this number is expected to double by 2050. Unfortunately, current prosthetic devices fall short in terms of their utility and aesthetics. Esper Bionics is developing its robotic hand to improve the lives of those with limb differences and accelerate the development of human-technology interfaces.

The Esper Hand gripping a fork. (Image courtesy of Esper Bionics.)

Esper Bionics Wants to Expand Human Potential

Esper Bionics, which was founded in 2019 by Dr. Dima Gazda, Anna Believantseva, and Ihor Ilchenko, is currently based in New York City, with research and manufacturing offices in Germany and Ukraine. The company is working to expand the full technology stack for electronic implants—developing the devices themselves, low-power electronics, and AI and advanced data analytics.

In conversation with Dr. Dima Gazda, cofounder of Esper Bionics, engineering.com learned more about the company’s history and ongoing R&D. As both an electrical engineer and medical doctor, Gazda has the unique education required to develop effective devices for human augmentation.

Originally, Gazda and his cofounders started the company to develop what they thought was the most important technology stack for the future of humanity: electronic implants. To start its R&D journey, Esper Bionics focused on the prosthetic industry, which is currently low-tech. Most industry-standard prosthetics are purely aesthetic and do not restore a limb’s functionality. Other companies are working to improve the technical capabilities of prosthetics, including Psyonic. However, Esper hopes to stand out with the speed and utility of its device, which actually learns user habits and customizes the functionality to each patient.

The Esper Hand as a Self-Learning Prosthetic

The goal of the Esper Hand is simple: design a prosthetic that can be controlled just like biological human hands.

Consider a hobby like knitting.

Typically, you would start slowly and inefficiently with the knitting and placement of the needles. However, over time, you would learn the mechanics of knitting until it became smooth, easy and effortless.

The Esper team developed its robotic hand with this in mind, focusing on creating a device that can learn from its user and become increasingly customized with use.

A series of digital signal processors, specifically electromyography sensors, currently control the device. The remaining muscles in the user’s limb control the movement of individual fingers, use different grips, and perform almost any task. Therefore, the device is not the same in every individual as it depends on the remaining active muscles for its control.

Gazda highlighted the mechanical precision of the device: “The [Esper Hand] is up to 10 times more precise in detecting muscle movement compared to most prosthetic devices.”

He mentioned that the device has faster activation and hand control, moving the bar of prosthetics closer to the reaction time of biological hands. To improve the device’s utility, it also includes mechanical protection from water and dust.

On the software front, Gazda discussed the company’s proprietary Esper Platform, which encompasses both a server and AI-powered applications. The software uses data inputs from the hand to learn the user’s habits and improve the device’s performance. For example, the hand can detect muscle activity to recognize certain situations and accurately predict the grip that would best fit a specific context, such as picking up a heavy mug or a delicate blueberry. Plus, the company’s proprietary machine learning algorithms can correct for common issues experienced by prosthetic users, such as sweat and differences in their range of motion.

The Esper Hand holding a pomegranate seed. (Image courtesy of Esper Bionics.)

“The server collects data from the hand and updates the control algorithms to fit the user’s everyday routine,” said Gazda.

The device also improves its ability to detect muscle activity over time, improving the activation, reaction time, and overall hand control. Interestingly, users can remotely adjust the features of their devices, and Esper can send automatic setting suggestions to help the user to improve their functionality.

Beyond the hardware and software, Gazda highlighted the industrial design that went into the production of the Esper Hand. The current design notably considered the aesthetics of the final device, incorporating feedback from individuals with limb differences who were looking for something that they would be excited to wear. Gazda added that at 380 g, the Esper Hand is currently among the lightest prosthetics available on the market.

As part of its industrial design, Esper Bionics is looking to develop alternative materials for a model that can be priced for developing countries. Other organizations are also working on prosthetics for developing regions, including the Victoria Hand Project.

FDA approval of the prosthetic is currently in progress, and the company has 10 users in the New York area, with 10 more users expected by the end of 2022. Gazda considers the company to be in beta testing right now and hopes to see the device expand beyond the U.S. before long.

Nika, an Esper Hand user, playing a video game. (Image courtesy of Esper Bionics.)

What’s Next in Electronic Implants?

Gazda emphasized that his focus is on the future of wearable technology and human augmentation. Expanding from its robotic hand, Esper Bionics is working to develop prosthetics that can assist people with limb losses below the elbow, as well as help those with lower limb losses. As such, the company was chosen to assist with efforts in Ukraine to innovate prosthetics for veterans.

But Gazda wants to look well beyond prosthetics when considering the future of Esper Bionics. The goal is to develop electronic implants to improve human health and well-being. Instead of the Neuralink approach of integrating directly with the central nervous system, Esper is focused on integrating with the peripheral nervous system to improve the utility and accessibility of implants.

“Humanity as we know it is 150,000 years old. We have made major advancements in infrastructure in terms of transportation, buildings, and more. But this is the first time we can advance humans directly with technology,” said Gazda. “When we look back in 10,000 years, there will be a clear divide in the evolution of humans and a shift in our thinking about technology.”

Gazda added that in his opinion, electronic implants in humans will have a bigger impact on humanity than the automotive or space industries.

Although Esper Bionics is still at least five years away from implanted devices, the company is actively developing Esper Control, a wearable brain-computer interface device. All the devices in development will utilize the Esper Platform to help the products customize to each user’s individual habits.

It will be exciting to see how the company further develops the robotic hand and the other devices in its R&D pipeline over the next few years.

The post This Prosthetic Learns Your Habits and Gets Better the More You Use It appeared first on Engineering.com.

Over 500,000 Americans require dialysis three or more times per week, a treatment for failing kidneys that can take upwards of five hours to filter toxins from the blood. Most dialysis in the U.S. today takes place in clinics or private treatment centers, but there’s a better setting: in the home. Not only is at-home dialysis more comfortable for many patients, it’s also cheaper for taxpayers—enough so that in 2019, President Trump launched the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative, one goal of which is to boost the number of at-home dialysis patients by 2025.

It’s not just kidney disease patients that are shifting to in-home care. The trend toward telemedicine—healthcare at a distance—has been building for decades, and is helping drive complex new requirements for medical devices: low power, light weight and small size are just some of the constraints device designers must now consider. It’s imperative to choose sensors that are up to the task.

Mini Medical Devices

There has been one major health concern on everyone’s mind for the past few years, and while the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t ignite the trend to telemedicine, it has accelerated it.

“There’s a greater emphasis now in thinking outside the box on some of these therapies, like glucose monitoring and oxygen concentrators, that used to be done in the hospital,” says Martin Murray, Global Application Engineer at Honeywell for board-mount pressure sensors, airflow sensors and force sensors.

Hospitals have germs—an obvious fact upon consideration, but one that didn’t resonate with many until the threat of COVID. “If you can do these procedures at home, that not only limits the exposure to other people that might have COVID, but it also will alleviate overworked resources at these clinics and hospitals,” explains Alfredo Arteta, North America Product Manager for Honeywell’s medical vertical.

At home doesn’t necessarily mean in the house, either. Rethinking therapies for mobility (ambulatory care, to use the industry jargon) ultimately means a greater quality of life for the patients. “You’re allowing grandpa and grandma to go to their grandson’s baseball game because they’re not tied to a big tank of oxygen,” Murray says.

But that kind of mobility means battery power. Medical device designers must think more carefully about their power usage, selecting sensors and other components that won’t drain the battery. Mobility also means that someone must lug the device around, necessitating lighter weight and smaller size.

Miniaturization is a trend that extends beyond telemedicine. Today, small size and light weight is just as important for equipment in a crowded ICU.

“It used to be a ventilator, for example, could be as big as needed,” Murray says. “Now they’re trying to shrink all that down. Every little component in the system is being looked at, so small size is critical there.”

For example, Honeywell’s MPR Series Pressure Sensors measure just five millimeters square, and its ABP Series Pressure Sensors are just a couple millimeters bigger. Suffice it to say that both of them would be very easy to lose. Murray says these pressure sensors are used in many ambulatory applications.

The Honeywell MPR Series pressure sensors measure just five millimeters by five millimeters. (Image courtesy of Honeywell.)

Cost-Effective Care

Another trend affecting home medical devices and hospital equipment alike relates to sterilization. At home, self-care patients lack the tools and training to properly sterilize equipment. It’s not as easy as breaking out the bleach—while it is an effective disinfectant, bleach eats away at glass and silicon and can easily damage electronics.

Even in a hospital setting, sterilization of medical equipment has become trickier. One common tactic is to use a hot autoclave to kill off harmful bacteria, but the temperatures required to finish the job are increasing. Twenty years ago, 120°C or so was sufficient. But today, as bacteria has gradually gained immunity, temperatures in the 130°C range are necessary. It may seem like only a slight increase, but it’s enough to damage electronic components.

“It’s harder to design a sensor that can withstand that increase in temperature,” Murray says.

While there are other methods of sterilization, such as using ethylene oxide, not all hospitals have access to this treatment. The bottom line is that medical equipment is becoming harder to reuse, and designers must account for this fact. Low unit cost is becoming paramount both at home and in the hospital. “Any sensors or any technology you put in there, a lot of it has to be disposable,” Murray says.

Acute Accuracy

The trend toward lower-cost medical equipment is countered by a trend to improve sensor accuracy. One way to do this is to move sensors as close as possible to the patient, such as putting an airflow sensor in a mask rather than in a machine separated by several feet of plastic tubing. That has ramifications for the sensors, says Murray, as they have to be “wet-capable,” designed to withstand liquids and made with “biocompatible” materials.

The sensors themselves can also be designed for higher accuracy. Take pressure sensors, for instance, which are used in spirometers to measure a person’s breathing and diagnose lung diseases. Spirometers must be capable of measuring a patient’s full lung capacity. That encompasses a wide range of airflow, from the upper limit of lung capacity to the very low-pressure onset of breathing, a fruitful stage for finding lung problems.

“You need a sensor with what is called a high turndown ratio, which means you can measure very accurately over a wide range of flow,” Murray says. “The resolution on the output, how small a pressure change can you discern, is what it really comes down to.”

A decade or so ago, 12 bits of output resolution was considered a good industry standard. Today’s pressure sensors offer four or more times that resolution. Honeywell’s ABP Series Pressure Sensors, for example, offer a 14-bit output. The company’s RSC Series goes even further with a 16-bit resolution, making it a popular choice for spirometers and ventilators.

The Honeywell RSC Series of board mount pressure sensors. (Image courtesy of Honeywell.)

Better sensor accuracy is extremely important for medical lab automation, which has become critical for developing new devices, medicines and vaccines. For example, more accurate sensors mean more tests can be conducted on a limited blood sample.

“There’s an increasing expenditure on research and development for lab automations,” Arteta says. “Helping improve that infrastructure, especially in emerging countries, is definitely going to help present different avenues of growth.”

While the healthcare industry has been in upheaval for two years, valiantly fighting the novel coronavirus, it has also been a period of reflection and transformation. The pandemic put new pressure on trends that have been shaping up for decades: trends toward telemedicine, miniaturization and higher accuracy. For designers of medical devices, it is more important than ever to pay heed to these trends.

“Having a small, low-cost, very accurate and reliable device is critical,” Murray says.

To learn more, visit TTI’s Honeywell Medical Sensor and Switch Solutions.

The post The Doctor Will Sense You Now appeared first on Engineering.com.

An interesting consortium of U.S. federal government departments, agencies and top manufacturing companies has announced a program designed to rebuild broken supply chains from the inside out with a domestic SME base. AM Forward, administered by the non-profit Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America, is a commitment by major companies to help small and medium-sized suppliers adopt additive manufacturing technology, with a combination of purchase commitments, training and technology transfer. The program is ambitious, and if it works, could create a new Renaissance in American manufacturing. But if the program runs like government programs often do, it could founder. Jim Anderton comments. 

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Transcript of this week’s show:

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and/or videos to which the transcript may be referring, watch the above video. 

Ronald Reagan was one of the most quotable presidents in history, and on August 12th, 1986, he famously said that the nine most terrifying words in English language were, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” 

To be sure, it was a much simpler time. A time when the threat to American manufacturing jobs came primarily from Japan, and much of the conventional supply chain still existed domestically. But only six years previously, the federal government bailed out Chrysler with a 1.5 billion dollar loan, and the entire U.S. auto industry was on the brink.  

Long before the end of Reagan’s term, it was clear that the major manufacturing industries such as automotive, aerospace and energy operated in a mixed economy, driven by both market forces and government incentives. Today, Washington throwing money at favoured industries is commonplace. But there is a new program that is an interesting combination of major manufacturer association and Federal agencies called AM Forward.  

On paper it looks very, very different—in a good way. Administered by the non-profit Applied Science and Research Technology Organization of America, AM Forward is conceptually very simple. Large manufacturing firms—companies that have a very large and diverse supplier base, often in Asia—agree to purchase 3D printed components and assemblies from American suppliers, and back up that commitment with technology transfer and just as importantly, unified standards and certifications. Washington also kicks in cash and technical assistance from a wide range of departments and agencies, from the Department of Agriculture to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

AM Forward is open to any OEM manufacturer and the founding members are truly heavyweights: GE Aviation, Raytheon, Honeywell, Siemens Energy and Lockheed Martin. That’s a strong offensive line, one you can definitely build a team around.  

It sounds like a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier’s dream: guaranteed orders, a cooperative customer, unified standards, technology transfer, funding for capex and even workforce training. Where do I sign up, right?  

Well, the essence of that famous quote from Reagan is that government is not evil—in fact, its intentions are good. But somewhere between intentions and execution, a strange phenomenon happens: Bureaucracy.  

This is taxpayer money we’re talking about, and in an effort to make sure that it’s well spent, intake screening and testing emerges, with application forms, processes and meetings. Then programs establish systems to make sure that the money is well spent after it is granted, with more forms, checks and meetings. How much paperwork and administration time will be necessary to manage the new apprenticeship and training programs, and the new standards and certifications?  

The dirty secret is that the reason why large corporations benefit the most from government programs and public-private partnerships is that they can afford to invest in the human capital necessary to run the gauntlet that makes up most government agencies and departments. It isn’t favouritism, it’s risk.  

The simple reality is, small and medium-size manufacturers would have to be smoking crack before they would literally bet their company on the new equipment and capability needed to win high-technology business from huge multinational customers in areas like aerospace and energy. But as those industry majors increasingly demand parts and assemblies that are too complex to machine or fabricate without AM, and demand expensive and complex materials, quality processes, plus IP and DoD security guarantees, we all know that fewer and fewer small and medium-size companies can bid on those lucrative contracts.  

They want to, and they’ve told me this, but the simple fact is that they have to be risk averse to protect the enterprise. American SMEs are not short of technical ability, and the AM Forward initiative will definitely help bring them up to speed. But both the initiative and Washington need to understand that programs need to be simple and easy to administer, or they will not achieve the reshoring objective.  

I have a simple suggestion: if supplier companies need to hire a consultant or lawyer to take advantage of your program, stop and rethink the program. Engineering program management is frequently about controlling unwanted growth. Growth in costs, complexity, size and weight.  It’s the same with paperwork. It’s hard to control instability in a new turbofan engine combustor. It’s even harder to control bureaucracy. But, it’s essential to try.

The post “I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help” appeared first on Engineering.com.

It’s no secret that the state-of-the-art in manufacturing technology varies widely by industry sector and by enterprise scale. Large, R&D-heavy OEMs in the automotive, aerospace, energy and defence sectors have access to and implement the latest technologies, such as advanced additive manufacturing. The supply chain that supports those companies, however, have varying abilities—from capability that matches that of their customers’, to reliance on third-party and frequently offshore expertise.  

The AM Forward initiative, backed by the Bipartisan Innovation Act, aims to commit large U.S. companies to purchase 3D printing parts from smaller U.S.-based suppliers, as well as train those suppliers on new technologies and provide technical assistance. If successful, the program could change the traditional relationship between large manufacturers and the entire supply chain.  

Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.

Transcript of this week’s show:

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and/or videos to which the transcript may be referring, watch the above video.

Large, sophisticated manufacturing firms have been a cornerstone of economic development throughout American history. From the interchangeable parts of Springfield muskets to Henry Ford and on to the Space Shuttle, the history of technology-heavy manufacturing firms in America is essentially the history of the United States.  

What is rarely considered, however, is the huge network of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers that make the component parts and subassemblies that go into our autos, airplanes, energy infrastructure and consumer goods. And since the 1970s, outsourcing of design engineering and manufacturing capability to the supply chain has been the favoured path toward profitability.  

At least it was, until COVID and now war in Ukraine. The resulting fractured supply chains have crippled multiple industries, especially the automotive sector, with no clear end in sight. Compounding the problem is the increasing gap in technical capability between large, well-funded OEMs and the smaller companies that make up the majority of the supply chain.  

Fixing this problem is complex, but a major imperative is to reduce reliance on offshore suppliers, particularly in Asia. To achieve this, new American small and medium-size manufacturers must emerge, and the existing base has to modernize.  

The Biden Administration has taken a first step toward achieving this long-term goal with the announcement of AM Forward, which is, according to the White House, “a voluntary compact between large, iconic manufacturers and their smaller U.S.-based suppliers.”  

What’s in the voluntary compact? The five founding industry heavyweights are publicly committing to purchase parts made with additive manufacturing from smaller domestic suppliers, provide additive manufacturing training for the employees of those suppliers, provide technical assistance to supplier companies and to work toward common standards and certification for additive technologies throughout the supply chain.  

While this would seem to be a logical development considering global supply chain difficulties, it also addresses the serious barriers that have slowed widescale implementation of additive in American manufacturing. The primary issue has been uncertainty. The costs for small and medium-size supplier companies to develop additive capability and production scale are considerable, in hardware, software and training.  

Without guaranteed markets for parts at production volumes that generate a sensible return on investment, the risk of making the move toward production additive has been too great for many supplier companies. And for the companies that do want to take the plunge, the gap between the knowledge base held by large customers and their suppliers can be enormous. 3D printer manufacturers and material suppliers can deliver the knowledge necessary for smaller companies to learn how to effectively use the equipment, but the ability to make production parts with the accuracy and precision needed for high-technology customers in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, medical and energy is another level of sophistication generally nonexistent among smaller suppliers.  

AM Forward is joined in the effort by multiple U.S. Federal agencies. To facilitate access to capital for small and medium-size manufacturers, programs are developing within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Small Business Administration and the Export-Import Bank. For technical assistance, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy will help with funding and testing facilities. For training, the DOD-sponsored America Makes and the U.S. Department of Labor will help manufacturers establish apprenticeship programs for additive manufacturing. The Commerce Department, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will work with the ISO, ASME and ASTM International to establish industry standards and process certifications.  

While multiple Federal agencies are involved, a key feature of AM Forward is that the compact is managed by a non-profit organization, the Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America, or ASTRO America, based at the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois. The initiative is open to any OEM. The five major corporations that are anchoring the project? They are GE Aviation, Siemens Energy, Honeywell, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.  

That’s a heavyweight list, but the great unknown is how fast small and medium-sized American manufacturers can develop meaningful production capacity and capability, and how well the multiple government departments can deliver the essential services that smaller companies need. This is a full-court press, and if it works, the result could be a new Renaissance for American manufacturing, with hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs created and a fundamental shift away from trans-Pacific sourcing of parts and components. 

The post Additive Initiative Brings Big OEMs and Suppliers Together appeared first on Engineering.com.