America Makes and National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) have announced two new project calls valued at a combined $25.6 million, aimed at strengthening additive manufacturing (AM), non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and quality assurance capabilities for defense applications.
The two initiatives, funded through the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Acquisition and Sustainment, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, focus on advancing additive manufacturing qualification, material interchangeability and integrated inspection technologies.
The first project call, Maturation Initiative for Additive Metals Interchangeability (MIAMI), is valued at $12.4 million and is designed to validate the use of metallic additive manufacturing materials as replacements for traditional alloys used in Department of War weapon system components.
Under the programme, project teams will identify candidate parts, establish performance requirements and generate validated data demonstrating that additive manufacturing materials meet or exceed the properties of legacy alloys. The initiative is intended to support broader adoption of AM solutions across defense platforms while reducing repetitive qualification testing.
“Advancing material interchangeability through additive manufacturing is a strategic step toward strengthening the nation’s defense posture,” said John Martin, Additive Manufacturing Research Director at America Makes. “This effort delivers the analytical rigor and validated data needed to accelerate trusted AM adoption, directly supporting the Department of War’s priorities for a more resilient and responsive industrial base.”
America Makes stated that the initiative is expected to reduce technical and industrial risks while supporting faster transition of additive manufacturing technologies into defense production environments. Three awards are anticipated under the MIAMI project call.
The second project call, INtegrated System for In-situ Testing & Evaluation (INSITE), is valued at $13.2 million and focuses on developing an integrated additive manufacturing quality assurance system that combines in-situ monitoring with post-build non-destructive evaluation.
Funded through both the IBAS Program and the Office of the Under Secretary of War Manufacturing Technology Office (OSW ManTech), the INSITE programme aims to improve defect detection and strengthen qualification processes for complex AM components.
The initiative targets inspection challenges associated with large parts, dense materials and complex geometries that are difficult to evaluate using conventional inspection methods. By integrating real-time monitoring during manufacturing with accelerated post-build NDE and expert oversight, the programme seeks to enhance quality assurance and certification processes for critical defense components.
Rather than advancing individual sensing or NDE technologies separately, the project focuses on building a unified and certifiable quality assurance framework that integrates both in-situ monitoring and post-build inspection processes.
“As additive manufacturing scales to larger and more complex components, the ability to confidently verify part quality becomes mission critical,” said Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes. “This project brings together advanced analytics, in-situ monitoring, and next-generation NDE into a unified strategy that strengthens our industrial base and accelerates the deployment of reliable AM capabilities across defense applications.”
Reference: https://www.aerospacemanufacturinganddesign.com/news/america-makes-announces-two-project-calls-worth-over-25m-funding/
