NIST backs Additive Manufacturing innovation with over $400K in funding
The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded over $1.8 million to eighteen small businesses under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme. The awards will fund research and development of new products and services related to Additive Manufacturing, artificial intelligence, standards, semiconductor devices and other key technologies.
The winning projects were competitively selected following a call for innovative proposals that address technical needs related to NIST’s research areas.
These are all Phase I SBIR awards, which are designed to establish the merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed research and development projects. Phase I projects last six months, from August 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026. Once the projects are completed, awardees are eligible to apply for Phase II funding of up to $400,000 to continue their work.
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Metal Additive Manufacturing projects receiving funding in the 2025 Phase I SBIR round include:
- Company: Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc, Lancaster, Pennsylvania Award: $106,499 Project: ‘Manufacturing and measurements of 3D-printed porous structures’ Scope: Pre-standardisation research to assess the performance of additively manufactured porous structures used in heat transfer systems in spacecraft and satellites. Outcome: NIST noted that establishing standards for manufacturing and testing these structures is crucial for advancing this technology and enabling its widespread adoption.
- Company: Advanced Materials Design LLC, Ann Arbor, Michigan Award: $100,000 Project: ‘Real-time strain imaging tool for Additive Manufacturing’ Scope: The research will work to develop a real-time strain imaging tool to monitor internal stresses during the Additive Manufacturing process. The tool is said to provide data on stresses, viscosity and other factors that can affect build quality. Outcome: Real-time imaging can help optimise build speed, reduce defects, and support the development of new materials while improving the overall quality and consistency of additively manufactured parts.
- Company: Intact Solutions Inc, Madison, Wisconsin Award: $106,500 Project: ‘Rapid prequalification of the multi-laser powder bed fusion process via path-level thermal history simulation’ Scope: This project aims to develop a simulation tool for a multi-laser Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine that will help optimise process parameters and reduce defects. Outcome: Prequalification enables the efficient production of high-quality, large-scale components for industries including aerospace, defence and medicine.
- Company: X-wave Innovations Inc, Gaithersburg, Maryland Award: $100,000 **Project: ‘**Machine learning-based laser powder bed fusion in-situ monitoring package’ Scope: This project will work to develop an advanced machine learning-based technology to improve the quality of metal components produced through Additive Manufacturing. Outcome: Integrating the resultant in-situ monitoring into commercial Additive Manufacturing machines, with potential applications in commercial and military industries.
