TBGA and BPMI Collaborate on AM Material Database for ASEAN

TBGA and BPMI Join Forces to Enhance Additive Manufacturing in ASEAN Factories \\[TBGA, a leading global advisory firm, has been contracted by Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. (BPMI) to develop and manage a comprehensive materials and process database for additive manufacturing (AM). This initiative is set to have far-reaching implications for the manufacturing sector in Southeast Asia, particularly in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The database, which will be made publicly available, aims to standardize and align qualification efforts across the AM industry, thereby reducing production costs and shortening manufacturing cycles. Nathan Weiderspahn, Executive Manager for Industrial Base Management at BPMI, emphasized that consistent, high-quality design property data is crucial for the rapid adoption of AM within the maritime industrial base. The initial dataset will cover 316L stainless steel and Alloy 625, produced using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and gas metal arc directed energy deposition (GMA-DED), two common processes in metal AM. Under this agreement, TBGA will interpret, standardize, and manage datasets submitted incrementally by AM suppliers and testing partners. This project builds on TBGA's extensive experience in Department of War Industrial Base Policy programs and Navy advanced manufacturing initiatives, as well as their track record in running material test campaigns aimed at establishing consistent, repeatable data-generation practices for AM. Christina Kurth, Business Development Director of Advanced Manufacturing at TBGA, expressed pride in supporting the generation, analysis, and reporting of material property data that enables confident engineering use of AM across naval applications. She highlighted the opportunity to advance AM where it can deliver meaningful impact. This collaboration is part of a broader push to close the material data gap in AM, following similar initiatives such as America Makes' GOTHAAM program, which aims to qualify a high-strength aluminum alloy for LPBF. These efforts are critical for the defense industrial base, producing structured, standardized material data to remove qualification bottlenecks. Public materials databases, like Senvol's, have also received funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to apply data analysis to AM processes, with the goal of maturing material characterization and speeding up qualification. BPMI's plan to release its dataset publicly extends this model, structuring supplier-submitted data on 316L and Alloy 625 into a shared reference, rather than leaving each user to characterize the materials independently. For factories in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, this means access to a reliable and standardized database that can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with qualifying and implementing AM processes. It also provides a foundation for more efficient and innovative manufacturing, enabling these factories to stay competitive in the global market. As the AM industry continues to grow, the availability of such a database will be a game-changer, facilitating the adoption of AM technologies and driving the digital transformation of manufacturing in the region. In conclusion, the collaboration between TBGA and BPMI on the AM material database is a significant step forward for the manufacturing sector in Southeast Asia. By providing a standardized and accessible resource, it paves the way for more efficient and cost-effective AM processes, ultimately benefiting factory buyers and the broader industrial ecosystem in the ASEAN region.]