America Makes announces largest ever funding with two project calls worth nearly $12M
August 17, 2023
The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, and America Makes, based in Youngstown, Ohio, have announced two new open project calls worth a total of $11.75 million. These projects are funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD (R&E)) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
This is the largest funding opportunity that America Makes has launched since its inception in 2012. Each project call has two areas of focus, and one award is anticipated for each topic area. The maximum funding request varies depending on the project topic.
The first project call, Powder Alloy Development for Additive Manufacturing (PADAM), is worth $6 million and is being funded by the AFRL. America Makes, its members, and government stakeholders have assessed the benefits and strategic opportunities offered through the development and scaling of novel Additive Manufacturing materials at the Alloy Development Workshop in 2021. This project call aims to accelerate the maturation of high-temperature metals for AM, in order to demonstrate measurable improvements in application-specific performance criteria.
The PADAM request for proposal (RFP) is separated into two topic areas:
- Topic 1: High-Temperature Refractory Alloys ($3.6 million)
- Topic 2: High-Temperature Nickel-Based Superalloys ($2.4 million)
“For the better part of a decade, the additive community has been advocating for funding to direct research and development to establish proven methods for applying the best attributes of novel AM materials. The materials that project partners will be working with are incredibly important to the future of the applications used in the aerospace and defence communities,” shared Brandon Ribic, Technology Director at America Makes. “Our organisation is incredibly fortunate to have the support of the Under Secretary of Defense and AFRL and the engagement of the brightest minds in the country who will be collaborating to revolutionise this technology.”
The second project call, Proliferation of AM Material Datasets, offers a total of $5.75 million in funding through OSD (R&E) and the AFRL. Recognising that there are additional material systems beyond Ti-6Al-4V that can benefit the AM industry, this project aims to increase the number and type of pedigreed, statistically based, and industrially relevant Additive Manufacturing material datasets. The RFP also encourages the growth of these learnings, practices, and data to a more expansive cross-section of the AM supply chain by requiring partnerships with small businesses.
The Proliferation of AM Material Datasets RFP is also separated into two topic areas:
- Topic 1: Aluminum Alloy Material Dataset ($2.875 million)
- Topic 2: High-Temperature Nick-Based Superalloys ($2.875 million)
“This project is a great opportunity for America Makes and our members to lay the foundation for ground-breaking development and incorporation of alloy-based refractory metals, which are extraordinarily resistant to heat and wear, into AM applications used in the aerospace, defence, and energy industries,” stated John Martin, Additive Manufacturing Research Director at America Makes. “Additionally, data and best practices formulated and shared as a result of this project will help expand the AM supply chain through the inclusion of smaller businesses from across the country.”
Proposers for the project calls are advised to reference the RFP for full details and guidelines.
