What do we know about the deal between the US Air Force and Essentium?

Founded in 2013, Essentium provides industrial 3D printing solutions aiming to disrupt conventional manufacturing. Recently, the Texas-based company has announced that they signed a multi-year contract with the United States Air Force. The government agency has been interested in 3D printing technologies for several years, realizing that additive manufacturing might well be the future of production in the aerospace sector. What do we know about the deal between the US Air Force and Essentium?

Earlier this year, in March, the United States Air Force awarded around $550 million in contracts to several “big bet” technology firms, including Essentium; those were all four-year, fixed-price contracts. Being an AM company, Essentium’s mission will be to help drive the development and deployment of advanced additive manufacturing solutions for applications in tooling, ground support, maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), and flight-certified parts for military aircraft and ground vehicles through the U.S. Air Force but also the National Guard Bureau (NGB).

(Image credits: Essentium)

Evidently, the U.S. Air Force is struggling when it comes to acceleration of aircraft repairs and reduction of costs. The problem is that for many aging aircrafts replacement parts are scarce, and it is challenging to find manufacturers willing to resume the production of parts that may not be reordered for many years. Parts ordered one or two at a time are extremely expensive and entail exceptionally long waits. That’s where the AM companies come to the rescue. Additive manufacturing addresses these production, supply chain, and procurement challenges.