GE's Additive Pathfinder program successfully produces 4 discontinued parts

GE said recently that its Metal-based Additive Manufacturing Pathfinder (Pacer Edge) program in partnership with the U.
S.
Air Force (USAF) has entered Phase 3
.
Phase 3 focused on 3D printing four components that are currently discontinued: the bell crank, the gearbox seat, the anti-icing valve body, and the spider arm
.
GE's Cincinnati plant has successfully used the M2 Series 5 system to print the spider arm and the bell crank.
The printing material for these two parts is cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy
.

The ultimate goal of this phase is to establish a USAF-exclusive metal additive manufacturing production infrastructure at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
.
This capability will alleviate the current dilemma caused by casting and forging suppliers being unable to deliver on time
.

Project Pathfinder's metal 3D printed production part (printed
in Cobalt Chrome Nickel 718 on a GE Additive Concept Laser M2) took nine months
.

In 2019, GE Additive and GE Aviation began to engage with the U.
S.
Air Force, proposing to use metal additive manufacturing technology to solve the U.
S.
Air Force’s specific component logistics needs
.
With a large number of aircraft entering their sixth decade of service, difficulties in procuring and producing spare parts could mean significant risks
.
The U.
S.
Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office is responsible for improving mission readiness by rapidly identifying, applying, and expanding technologies critical to its fleet operations and sustainment, and the three-party Metal Additive Manufacturing Pathfinder program was born
.

"The Pathfinder program represents a milestone step forward in an innovative partnership with industry
.
Through this program, our teams will provide safe and timely propulsion readiness to support the U.
S.
warfighter
.
" Director, Air Force Propulsion John Sneden said
.

The U.
S.
Air Force is not the only entity not getting timely supplies
.
Obviously this is a bottleneck in many industries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem
.

On May 6, the Biden administration released an action called AM Forward
.
It mentioned that the Biden administration has identified a series of programs to support the adoption of additive manufacturing technology by small and medium-sized enterprises
.
include:

◆ Provides affordable financing for small manufacturers to support the installation of additive manufacturing equipment by reducing costs
.
The USDA will bring rural manufacturers into business programs to support the purchase of new additive manufacturing machines and provide the necessary training to improve their labor skills
.
The Export-Import Bank will highlight its new domestic loan program, which can help SMEs to upgrade existing production equipment
.

The Small Business Administration will work with AM Foward program participants to study how its 504 loan program and Small Business Investment Corporation (SBIC) program can support the widespread deployment of new additive manufacturing capabilities in U.
S.
industry
.

◆ Provide technical assistance from the federal government and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
.
The U.
S.
Department of Energy will open its manufacturing demonstration facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for SME manufacturers to test new additive manufacturing technologies
.
The U.
S.
Department of Defense (DOD) will use its Mentor Protégé program to provide technical assistance to AM Forward's large OEMs and SMEs
.
The U.
S.
Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program Office will work with America Makes (a U.
S.
Department of Defense-sponsored Institute for Manufacturing Innovation) and AM Forward members on a pilot standardization project
.

◆ Cultivate talents for additive manufacturing
.
America Makes will provide on-the-job training courses for AM Forward participants and, in conjunction with the U.
S.
Department of Labor, will assist manufacturers in launching an additive manufacturing apprenticeship program
.

◆ Formulate industry standards
.
Because 3D printing requires different standards and process certifications, the U.
S.
Department of Commerce will conduct measurement science research through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to overcome key barriers to widespread use of metal-based additive manufacturing
.
Develop the technical foundation for new high-priority standards and disseminate these results to AM Forward participants by leading standards development at ASTM International, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and other standards organizations
.

"Public-private initiatives like the 'AM Forward' program will help address the ongoing challenges facing the Department of Defense
.
Strengthening supply chains by encouraging the adoption of metal AM by small and medium manufacturers across the United States will create a qualified increase A national network of material manufacturing suppliers,
” said Lauren Tubesing, director of operations for GE Additive Military Programs
.