The strategy for American leadership in high-consequence additive manufacturing

Abstract

Over the past decade, a consistent theme in enhancing U.S. global competitiveness has been the need for U.S. leadership in critical advanced manufacturing technologies. Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D Printing, has been among those critical technologies. Recently, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) and Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative (SMGI) jointly formed an interagency team to analyze the slow adoption of AM for high-consequence applications. The interagency team developed this report to define the problems limiting implementation of AM, with a focus on identifying the specific issues limiting wider adoption of AM for high-consequence parts, and the R&D gaps that need to be addressed to reduce the risk and cost of adoption of AM by increasing confidence in AM processes and parts used in high-consequence applications. The sections that follow define the specific issues holding back AM technology and provide the context of the problem. This leads to recommendations to guide future efforts in technology development to ensure increased adoption of high-consequence AM and U.S. leadership in the field.