.png)
2 hours ago
1
A new $40 million factory capable of 3D printing industrial-grade parts of Navy ships is open for business, after a Thursday groundbreaking for the Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator, GAMMA, applications center.
GAMMA will see a barebones 8,000 square-foot concrete warehouse at the Pacific Industrial Park in Dededo, developed to 3D print hard-to-procure parts for Navy ships and submarines.
The Thursday ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by government of Guam officials and leadership from stateside organization, the Applied Science and Technology Research Organization, ASTRO, of America.
GAMMA is an initiative of ASTRO, a defense contractor with a number of Department of War deals meant to integrate 3D printing technology for producing military parts and materials.
But the GAMMA factory’s potential to jumpstart a manufacturing base for the Guam economy was just as interesting to local leaders, including Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who attended the ribbon cutting.
ASTRO president Neal Orringer, speaking at the ceremony, said a manufacturing base for Guam could expand beyond military applications into other industries.
“We’ll do that with a new generation of workers here on Guam,” he said.
Five paid interns from the University of Guam and Guam Community College are already on the payroll at GAMMA, and were in attendance Thursday.
The GAMMA initiative is tied in with UOG, GCC and the Colorado School of Mines to train up new engineers who will get learning experience out of the Dededo factory.
“So why do we start with submarine parts?” Orringer asked. “For decades, this island has served as a key base of operations for the world’s most sophisticated attack submarines.”
Those 8,000-ton, nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines carry out secret, dangerous patrols across the Pacific, he said, and rely on tens of thousands of parts to work properly.
When they need replacements and can’t afford to sail back to Hawaii, “that’s where we come in,” Orringer said.
He said those parts will roll out of the Dededo factory, equipped with advanced metal 3D printers, robotic welding and computer controls.
But the initiative also has plans to diversify into commercial applications, like automobiles, airlines, emergency response, fire and even medical devices.
GAMMA director and general manager Alex Benham said the factory is already reaching out to different local companies that may be interested in the services that they provide.
There’s nothing concrete, yet, he said, and there’s no timeline on when those services will be available.
Benham previously told the Pacific Daily News that the factory will have its initial operating capacity within the first quarter of 2026, with plans to scale up over time.
He said the $40 million deal that GAMMA bagged with the Navy for the buildout of the factory is so far the biggest contract they’ve cinched.
The governor, addressing attendees Thursday, said she met ASTRO’s Neal several years ago.
At the time, he said he was trying to secure a grant from the military to do a feasibility study for the GAMMA project.
“I asked him, ‘Well, how much is the feasibility study?” Leon Guerrero said. “I thought it was gonna say, like, $3 million and he said, $250,000. I said, ‘Never mind the military, we’ll give it to you. You come to Guam’.”
That grant funding was secured through the Guam Economic Development Authority, she said.
Leon Guerrero also touted the Colorado School of Mines as one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the nation.
“They are going to develop a program where our students can go to our university, continue on to the School of Mines, and get a degree in mechanical engineering, something very much needed in our island,” she said.
Leon Guerrero said the new industry would create jobs for locals and strengthen the island economy.
But the greatest value would be its ability to provide much needed parts for the island, which are hard to ship, the governor said.
“How many times do our ambulances go down and we can’t get the parts quick enough for those ambulances to get back on the streets?” she said.
Vice Speaker Tony Ada said is hopeful that the new manufacturing industry could also attract business from Asia.
“I think the only thing that hasn’t been said is that when these parts are manufactured, that you have a nice little tag on there that says ‘Made in Guam, USA,’” Ada said.
