President Joe Biden will announce that five major American manufacturers have pledged to increase their reliance on small and medium-sized American businesses for 3D printing.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will announce Friday that five major American manufacturers have pledged to increase their reliance on small and medium-sized American businesses for 3D printing.
The White House said GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Siemens Energy have agreed to participate in the program, which Biden will highlight during a visit to United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio.
The program is being introduced by the White House as Biden heads to the industrial Midwest to pressure Congress to pass a stalled competition and innovation bill that the Democratic president says is critical to boosting domestic manufacturing and helping solve the semiconductor shortage that has delayed the production of life. -Store medical devices, smartphones, video game consoles, laptops and other modern conveniences.
“I am determined to make sure that the United States maintains the technological edge in competition with other nations, especially China, as we move forward,” Biden said this week. His comments on the Bipartisan Innovation Act came during a visit Tuesday to an Alabama Lockheed Martin plant that builds Javelin anti-tank weapon systems.
GE Aviation and Raytheon have set a goal of looking to small and medium-sized businesses for 50% of their requests for quotes for products that require 3D printing or related technologies.
Siemens Energy has committed to targeting 20% to 40% of 3D printed parts from external sources and will work with 10 to 20 small and medium-sized companies to help improve their capacity. Lockheed Martin has agreed to work with smaller suppliers on research to improve the use of 3D printing as an alternative to castings and forgings. Honeywell offers technical support including part design, data generation, machine operation and post-processing to the small and medium-sized suppliers it works with.
The semiconductor chip problem has been mounting since lockdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic shut down major Asian chip factories more than two years ago. It could now extend beyond this year, despite the semiconductor industry’s efforts to catch up.
There is bipartisan support for boosting domestic chip production, but lawmakers in the Senate and House have yet to negotiate differences.
In February, the House passed a version of the legislation that could pump $52 billion in grants and subsidies into the semiconductor industry to help boost American production. The bill must now be reconciled with a Senate version passed eight months ago.
House Democrats also included other priorities that have raised Republican concerns about the bill’s cost and scope.
The bill includes $8 billion for a fund that helps developing countries adapt to climate change; $3 billion for facilities to make the US less dependent on Chinese solar components; $4 billion to help communities with unemployment significantly higher than the national average; and $10.5 billion for states to stockpile drugs and medical equipment.
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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.