Since its founding in 2014, DMDII has invested approximately $90 million in more than 60 applied research projects nationwide. DMDII is facilitating factory worker training using augmented reality, updating legacy machines for the digital age and reducing error and scrap in high-value parts.
In one project, Lockheed Martin partnered with Siemens, Rochester Institute of Technology and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers and designers to digitize the production process. This effort is paving the way for reshoring in the PCB industry and aims to improve methods of transferring production data
"Digital transformation is about reimagining the process by which we, as a community, turn ideas into solutions," said Jeff Wilcox, vice president of digital transformation at Lockheed Martin. "DMDII has created a model that makes it easy to partner in a collaborative ecosystem that enhances our nation’s manufacturing competitiveness."
Previously, DMDII also collaborated with the U.S. Army’s Rock Island Arsenal, the nation’s largest government-owned weapons manufacturer. With the aim of getting equipment to U.S. warfighters faster, the arsenal and DMDII have used 3D modeling to assess the arsenal’s manufacturing processes.
"American manufacturing must remain competitive since it underpins national and economic security," said Tracy Frost, the Pentagon’s director of the DoD Manufacturing Institutes and its Manufacturing Technology program. "The advanced manufacturing technology solutions being pioneered at DMDII strengthen the U.S. industrial base and supply chain resiliency to support our warfighters, and the Department of Defense is excited to continue to partner with the institute and watch it grow."
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