What is ASTRO America building in Illinois?
The Center for Solid State Manufacturing will occupy 25,000 square feet in Milan, Illinois, and is due to open in February next year. It is funded with $20 million. ASTRO currently works from a much smaller site in the Moline area, where it has been building up AFSD adoption since January 2023.
The announcement was made at an event in Moline attended by retiring US Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Eric Sorensen, whose district includes the city.
Why is the location near Rock Island Arsenal?
Milan lies close to the US Army's Rock Island Arsenal. There ASTRO manages a $95 million Other Transaction Authority agreement awarded in 2022, centred on the Jointless Hull Large Format Tool. The machine was developed by a partner team that includes Ingersoll Machine Tool and has been called the world's largest 3D printer.
The next phase aims to use the lessons so far to make AFSD a direct contributor to military sustainment. The Army needs more domestic capacity for ground vehicle systems, and AFSD is seen as a way to supplement forging and casting supply chains.
How does ASTRO work across regions?
ASTRO operates in four regions: the Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Guam. In the Southeast it has helped spread metal 3D printing to support solid rocket motor production, and Florida work targets hypersonic applications. In Guam it set up a facility for local production for US Navy submarines. It has also launched a small business fund linking the Pentagon, other government bodies and private capital.
The author argues that this cluster-based model, combining public and private input, could serve as a template for other sectors and countries, and names Mobility goes Additive as a comparable European effort.