DoD AM Implementation Strategy Development
NCMS Project #: 140875
Problem: Collaboration is the cornerstone of innovation. Additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly advancing technically with new materials and processes emerging continuously. The AM implementation strategy effort is to address the business model aspects of AM for sustainment and production consistent with public private partnership principles in parallel to AM technical community efforts and build upon those concepts/findings to develop a strategy to best implement AM capabilities across the DoD. The overall intent is to illuminate the required business transactions for the DoD to acquire non-critical equipment parts through AM and identify business gaps and challenges to begin the development of the necessary business environment to support AM.
Benefit: An environment through CTMA enables the maintenance and sustainment community to share relevant information, identify critical issues, discuss key topics, and increase their awareness of DoD maintenance and sustainment initiatives. AM offers considerable opportunity to create public supply chain efficiencies. This initiative supports the OSD Better Buying Power 3.0 theme of achieving dominant capabilities through technical excellence and innovation in commercial technology.
Solution/Approach: Building on the successes of the CTMA Annual Partners Meeting, Technology Showcases and industry, NCMS is partnering with America Makes, LMI, and the Additive Manufacturing for Maintenance Activities (AMMO) Working Group to develop a strategy for the implementation of AM capabilities across the military Services and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The effort will “launch” with a collaborative event known as the Additive Manufacturing Business Model Wargames II which has been expanded to include the life cycle platform considerations to further develop the necessary business environment to support the continued adoption of AM capabilities to benefit the warfighter in parallel to technology focus. The AM implementation strategy effort will build upon both AM Business Model Wargame results, as well as the America Makes AM Road Mapping completed in 2016. The strategy will focus on those AM capabilities which are expected to be common across the DoD.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Reduce costs
- Improve readiness
- Smaller environmental footprint
DOD Participation:
- OSD Maintenance
- U.S. Navy, NAVSUP
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Air Force
- Army Logistics Information Agency
Industry Participation:
- Lockheed Martin
- Penn State University
- Raytheon
- The Boeing Company
- Moog
- LMI
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Repair turn-around time
- Obsolescence management and continued maintenance capability
- Maintenance management improvement
- Improved readiness
Focus Area:
- Additive/advanced manufacturing