Mission Area
June 3, 2021
The Logistics Modernization Program’s (LMP) additive manufacturing digital thread (AM DT) capability supports the Secretary of the Army’s advanced manufacturing initiative to improve tactical and operational readiness, and enhance warfighting capabilities through the use of “advanced” processes and materials. Advanced manufacturing establishes unique ways to create or repair equipment and parts. While 3D printing is the best known example, the advanced manufacturing process includes many other components, including the sharing of data and events associated with the life of a part … in other words, the “digital thread.”
Take, for example, the case of a deployed Soldier who needs a temporary part to return an armored fighting vehicle to operational status. The part is not readily available and will take days to arrive. The Soldier can query LMP's AM DT data repository to request the needed data set to print the approved 3D part. Through AM DT capability, the part can be produced on-site, enabling the vehicle to return to operational status to meet mission requirements in a timely/expedited manner (i.e., within hours vs. days or weeks via routine supply chain channels).
LMP has been working directly with Army Materiel Command Headquarters staff and other key stakeholders across the Army to determine the best – and fastest – path to deliver the AM DT capability to support Soldiers worldwide. Currently, LMP is looking to deliver initial functionality by August 2021.
LMP is part of PEO EIS's Defense Integrated Business Systems portfolio.