In April, the ADAPTSM Center hosted Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado as part of his visit to Colorado School of Mines.
Discussion focused on the future of manufacturing shifting to a network-based, on-demand model enabled by additive manufacturing (AM). Such a model can democratize manufacturing, help the country adapt to shifting manufacturing needs, and impact military readiness.
An important part of preparing for this shift is a new partnership with Prof. Steve Simske at Colorado State University to bring cyber-physical security to manufacturing networks and supply chains and to address forgery concerns.
Sen. Gardner’s American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, enacted during President Obama’s term, has benefited ADAPT’s work and funding. ADAPT Executive Director Aaron Stebner and other ADAPT leadership shared details about the TARDEC program, including MAXXPRO/MRAP part replacement and supply chain simplification; the Quality Made program to develop a laser hot wire system that builds in process control with integrated machine learning for flexible, large-scale manufacturing; and ADAPT’s DOD-OEA program.
See Sen. Gardner’s full statement on his Mines visit here: