I am excited to let you know about a competition that the U.S. Army's xTech Program recently hosted. Spanish Manufacturer Meltio and its U.S. Distributor and Expert in Manufacturing Phillips Corporation secured the fifth spot win for its deployable hybrid machine, utilizing laser-wire DED additive and subtractive manufacturing. The U.S. Army's primary objective with this competition is to provide the U.S. Department of Defense/warfighters with groundbreaking technologies that can effectively address challenges across all branches.

London, England — The third annual international prize competition, organized by the U.S. Army xTech Program, has unveiled its top-five winners. Among the 137 submissions centered around Advance Manufacturing and Materials, Spanish Manufacturer Meltio and its U.S. Distributor Phillips Corporation secured fifth place for their exceptional deployable hybrid machine utilizing laser-wire DED additive manufacturing.

The deployable hybrid technology, which provides both subtractive and additive capabilities to world-renowned Haas machines, improves readiness by providing an easy-to-use solution for point of need manufacturing. The monetary prize for placing in this competition will help to fund Meltio and Phillips in their research to develop a new generation of deployable hybrids.

The Army xTech Program is specifically designed for companies operating outside the United States. Its primary objective is to provide the U.S. Department of Defense/warfighters with groundbreaking technologies that can effectively address challenges across all branches. The competition finals, held on June 7-8, 2023, in London, witnessed nine finalists presenting their innovative solutions to a panel of defense experts. Following the intense finals event, judges selected five businesses as the ultimate winners of the competition.

"This year's competition was record-breaking in a number of aspects, including award amounts and the level of participation we received," said Ryan Decker, global technology advisor for U.S. Army DEVCOM Atlantic, an Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology partner and co-sponsor of the competition." It is essential that the Army continues to look beyond our borders to equip our Soldiers with the latest game-changing technologies, and how we can incorporate international partners into DEVCOM programs providing future benefits to U.S. warfighters."

"The Army xTech Program serves as a critical bridge between international innovation and equipping our soldiers with transformative technologies, ensuring their readiness and effectiveness in overcoming challenges," added Brian Kristaponis, General Manager of the Hybrid Division at Phillips Corporation. "This initiative fosters collaboration and propels advancements in fields such as Additive Manufacturing, reinforcing our commitment to staying at the forefront of cutting-edge solutions for our military."

About Phillips Corporation
For more than 60 years, federal government, private sector and education leaders have relied on the experts at Phillips Corporation to solve their biggest manufacturing challenges. Phillips enjoys a 30-year global relationship with Haas Automation that has produced more than 30,000 installed machines. Our mission is to create legendary value for the manufacturing community by unlocking solutions to drive capabilities, profitability and productivity. Phillips represents a strong combination of equipment, application expertise and services that are perfectly suited to the growing range of current and future manufacturing application requirements. Learn more about Phillips at https://www.phillipscorp.com/hybrid/

About Meltio
Meltio takes metal additive manufacturing to the next level by developing high-performance, affordable and easy-to-use metal 3D printing solutions using wire LMD technology. The company's mission is to provide its customers, partners and employees with the latest innovations by pioneering the development of affordable metal 3D printing systems that are reliable, safe and powerful, continually reinforcing its status as a technology innovator for the industrial sector. www.meltio3d.com

About Army xTech Program
Established in 2018, the Army xTech Program strives to integrate small businesses and nontraditional vendors into the Army's science and technology ecosystem by providing opportunities for direct exposure to laboratories, program executive offices and program managers from across the Army. Participants receive extensive feedback from Army and DoD stakeholders and have access to training, mentorship, and other support infrastructure as they progress through the competition to determine how to best align their technology solutions with real users and buyers within the Army. The xTech Program holds several competitions per year, from open-topic competitions such as xTechSearch, to technology-specific competitions targeting specific Army needs and challenges. For all competition information, go to https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/.