AMNOW Successes

Supporting Army Readiness Through a Robust Digital Additive Manufacturing Supply Chain

The AMNOW program was launched in 2019 with a mission to establish and demonstrate a robust capable digital manufacturing supply chain to support Army readiness. Executing that mission required elevating the capabilities of the supply chain; elevating additive manufacturing (AM) processes as a reliable technology; visualizing the supply chain back to the Army; and capturing production data as a contract deliverable.

As the program progressed, many suppliers have been engaged to make that mission a success.

Read about the success of four companies and how they benefit from their participation in AMNOW.

ATI, a $4.1 billion global specialty materials company, is one of those suppliers. ATI has a strong vertically integrated supply chain that can produce alloys, shapes, finished components that withstand the ultimate extremes in temperature, corrosion, and stress. This unique capability is the result of a corporate history that dates back beyond the dawn of the space age, the jet age, or the industrial age — all the way back, in fact, to the American Revolution.

An employee-owned company, Penn United Technologies, Inc. is one of those suppliers. Penn United was founded in 1971 as a small tool-and-die shop near Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. They have grown from a one-service shop into a high-tech manufacturing operation with more than 700 employee owners offering a wide variety of manufacturing solutions.

Product Evaluation Systems, Inc. (PES), an independent full-service testing laboratory, is one of those suppliers. Their Latrobe, Pennsylvania laboratory houses mechanical, chemical, and nondestructive testing facilities, as well as a metallurgical lab and machine shop. With this suite of capabilities, PES is providing its customers with a full-spectrum of testing services and solutions, as well as cost and time-saving advantages.

An educational curriculum, equipment, and support service provider, Vista AST is one of those suppliers. With a team comprised of 10 individuals, Vista AST designs and manufactures fused-filament desktop 3D printers and related technologies specifically for education and workforce development use. They have developed a proprietary software application that creates a virtual collaborative learning environment, allowing remote operation of digitally controlled equipment and real-time technical support.