HP Federal’s Tommy Gardner: US Gov’t Needs Strategic Program to Advance 3D Printing Adoption

Tommy Gardner, chief technology officer of HP’s federal business, has said the U.S. government should come up with a “sweeping plan” to facilitate the adoption of 3D printing in both public and private sectors.

Gardner wrote in an opinion piece published Friday on GCN that the use of 3D printing technology could help the public sector expedite the production of parts, reduce shipping costs and minimize overstocked shelves.

He noted that the government should promote advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning to help engineers and designers track the performance of finished 3D-printed components.

“This, in turn, improves product design for higher reliability and longer mean time between failure,” he added.

Gardner called on policymakers to introduce new measures to attract the best talent in the field of additive manufacturing in order to stay competitive.

“The U.S. should consider implementing a broader strategic 3D printing program that lays out a vision for the future,” he wrote.“It should set specific strategic goals aimed at producing not only replacement parts but full production items the government needs.”