America Makes launches $1.3M corrosion testing project for metal AM parts
America Makes, Youngstown, Ohio, and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) have announced a $1.3 million project call. Funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech), Corrosion of Additive – Tested At Component Scale (CATACS) aims to establish and validate a framework for evaluating AM metal part corrosion testing needs, focusing on representative testing at the component scale in high-temperature environments and thermal management systems.
By addressing these gaps, the CATACS program aims to accelerate the adoption of AM parts in high-performance defence systems by establishing a reliable corrosion testing framework that streamlines certification, strengthening manufacturing readiness and scaling the defence industrial base (DIB).
“CATACS is about putting real AM hardware to the test in harsh conditions — because corrosion will find the weak points,” stated Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes. “We’re asking proposers to bring their best parts, set a plan to stress them in extreme environments, and let the sea attack. That is CATACS.”
The CATACS request for proposal (RFP) is separated into two topic areas:
- Topic 1 – Corrosion of AM Components at Elevated Temperatures Demonstrate corrosion performance of AM components requiring elevated temperature capability in representative environments beyond the lab, considering pressure-vessel conditions, fuel-air mixtures, differing surface exposures, and metallurgical interactions with adjacent components.
- Topic 2 – Corrosion of AM Components for Thermal Management Demonstrate corrosion performance of metal AM thermal management components, focusing on interactions between AM microstructures and one or more working fluids under varying thermal conditions across complex geometries and flow channels
Projects should feature validated prototypes tested in relevant settings (TRL 4–7), not early-stage concepts. They should also show manufacturability through pilot builds and controlled processes (MRL 4–7), with a clear path to repeatable production at the onset of the proposed project.
The submission deadline is December 2, 2025. Two awards are planned; the announcement is scheduled for January 6, 2026.
