America Makes Announces Nearly $12 Million Requests for Proposal

The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and America Makes announced Tuesday two project calls worth a total of $11.75 million in funding. The requests for proposal (RFP) are for projects on Powder Alloy Development for Additive Manufacturing (PADAM) and Proliferation of AM Material Datasets.

This is the largest funding opportunity launched by America Makes since its inception in 2012. The open project calls 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).

Each project has two areas of focus. One award is anticipated for each topic with the maximum request for funding varying depending upon the topic being addressed.

The PADAM project call, funded by the AFRL, is worth $6 million. The goal is to accelerate the maturation of AM high-temperature metals to demonstrate measurable improvement in application-specific performance criteria, according to the organization.

The PADAM RFP is separated into High-Temperature Refractory Alloys ($3.6M) and High-Temperature Nickel-Based Superalloys ($2.4M).

“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 defense communities,” states Brandon Ribic, technology director at America Makes. “Our organization 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 revolutionize this technology.”

The Proliferation of AM Material Datasets RFP is offering a total of $5.75M in funding through OSD(R&E) and the AFRL. This project aims to increase the number and type of pedigreed, statistically based, and industrially relevant AM material datasets, says the organization.

The Proliferation of AM Material Datasets RFP is separated into the topic areas of Aluminum Alloy Material Dataset ($2.875M) and High-Temperature Nick-Based Superalloys ($2.875M).

“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, defense and energy industries,” states 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.”

Applicants will have an opportunity to submit questions about scope and approach until Aug. 22. They must be America Makes members by Sept. 14 in order to submit; submissions are due Sept. 29. The awards are expected to be announced Oct. 30. For more information, visit americamakes.us.

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