Groundbreaking 3D printing technology and workforce education center on island

Plans to create a 3D printing industry in Guam are taking shape with education programs that include training with the U.S. Navy, Colorado School of Mines, and technical workshops with Navy and “shipbuilder decision makers.”

A press release from the Applied Science & Technology Research Organization of America, ASTRO, stated that the plan to build the Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator is based on three pillars: workforce development and education; component testing and evaluation; and manufacturing business incubation/support on-island.

The effort to start a 3D printing center in Guam started about two years ago, according to Journal files. Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero said additive manufacturing, or 3D technology, offers Guam an opportunity to build a new industry in Guam.

The Guam Economic Development Authority contracted ASTRO to conduct a feasibility study. The study results showed that Guam has the building blocks to create this industry, which could ultimately provide materials for the Department of Defense.

“In fact, it appears likely that if sufficient funding were made available, such conditions could materialize to support a sustainable, productive 3D printing sector. Having factory-ready 3D printing capabilities could address both logistical challenges for U.S. Armed Forces and support the island’s economic goals to increase transshipment of parts to the continental United States and other parts of the Indo-Pacific,” according to the ASTRO website.

ASTRO report further proposes the development of three related facilities to build local AM capabilities. The facilities would be configured to leverage assistance and sponsorship from outside institutions, including external universities, U.S. and Allied governments, and industry, as follows:

1. A Research and Test Center supporting prototyping capabilities as well as advanced quality inspection (e.g. metallography lab) to validate part production for use by DoD and other stakeholders.
2. A ‘Business Incubator’ would provide a setting for existing contract additive manufacturers and start-ups to re-locate assets in Guam. The facility could host both 3D printers and post-processing equipment, under a shared infrastructure arrangement potentially supported by government.
3. An integrated approach to education and technical skills training to enable long-term sustainability of this effort in Guam.

A second report, commissioned by the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, recommends establishing a Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator. It calls for a partnership with the DoD manufacturers as well as major academic, business, and government parties.

The report stresses that GAMMA’s two principal goals should be: promoting U.S. national security and helping diversify the economy, in partnership with the federal government. In particular, Guam offers an opportunity to support the readiness and resilience of key American and Allied submarine supply chains. Accordingly, the project plan would establish GAMMA as a proponent of the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office Strategic Submarines (PEO SSBN), which is responsible for U.S. strategic submarines’ lifecycle management as well as advancing submarine industrial base health, according to the press release.

GAMMA will thus help drive development of submarine industrial base capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, supporting the needs of the United States as well as UK and Australia, in sustaining a technological edge in submarine-construction, particularly relative to the military’s peer competitors in the region, according to the press release.
“For two years, ASTRO, commissioned by GEDA and BSP, has grown a body of expertise on developing industrial AM capabilities in Guam,” Leon Guerrero said. “As we move toward making GAMMA a reality, we will continue to work with our partners to diversify Guam’s economy and establish the island as a center of excellence for additive manufacturing, particularly for the United States Navy’s submarine force. I am pleased that so much of our island’s talent and expertise is being utilized to create new job opportunities for Guam and contribute to America’s national security interests.”

Next Steps for the Implementation Plan include activities will be sponsored by PEO SSBN  and another nonprofit organization supporting the Navy, Blue Forge Alliance. Additionally, a Guam workshop will be held this fall, according to the press release. mbj