Van Hollen Secures $15M for Innovative Manufacturing Research at APG that will Boost Maryland’s Economy

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has announced that he successfully secured $15 million in funding to propel manufacturing research managed by the Army Research Lab (ARL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act. This funding will directly support the Advanced Manufacturing Materials and Processes (AMMP) Consortium, which is working to boost next-generation manufacturing. This funding is in addition to the $23 million that Senator Van Hollen secured in the 2018 spending bill to launch AMMP’s partnership with ARL. The AMMP Consortium will be headquartered in the Higher Education and Applied Technology Center at Harford Community College and will achieve its goals through partnering with local businesses and universities, among others, to create new technologies.

 

AMMP’s work, which focuses on the use of 3D printing, will modernize Army weapons, provide greater efficiency and flexibility, and reduce taxpayer costs. But this investment does not just help the Army – it will spur growth in American manufacturing across the board. By making APG an epicenter of this innovative work and establishing a hands-on training center, it will boost the economy in Harford County and across Maryland, bring in new businesses, and create the potential for new companies in the future.

 

“American manufacturing is the backbone of our economy, and the Army is poised to help drive innovation in this critical sector. AMMP’s efforts on 3D printing and other additive manufacturing technologies can help revolutionize the way we make things and spur economic growth and more good-paying jobs in our state and across the country. I am proud to support this critical effort,"  said Senator Van Hollen.