America Makes announces two project calls worth $8 million

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) announce two new project calls worth $8 million in funding. The first project call, Powder Alloy Development for Additive Manufacturing (PADAM) 2.0, funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Material and Manufacturing Directorate (AFRL-RXN), has a $6M budget and aims to advance the readiness, manufacturability, performance, and supply chain resilience of high-temperature refractory alloys for additive manufacturing (AM) applications relevant to the Department of Defense (DoD).

PADAM 2.0

Proposed efforts for PADAM 2.0 are expected to generate data, improve process robustness and qualification readiness, and deliver actionable insights that reduce technical and industrial risk while enabling realistic transition pathways. Collectively, the outcomes are intended to provide mutual value to DoD and industry by accelerating informed adoption of refractory alloys in AM.

The PADAM 2.0 request for proposal (RFP) encompasses three complementary topic areas listed below.

• Topic 1: Existing Refractory Alloy Systems - Up to two awards are anticipated, with a maximum funding amount of $2M per award.
• Topic 2: Novel or Emerging Refractory Alloy Systems - One award is anticipated, with a maximum funding amount of $1.7M.
• Topic 3: Refractory Alloy Supply Chain Assessment (Mine-to-Qualified Part) - One award is anticipated, with a maximum funding amount of $300K

AIM-4AM

The second project call, Artificial Intelligence for Material Allowables in Additive Manufacturing (AIM-4AM), offers a total of $2M in funding through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech). Consisting of two phases, the objective is to develop an AI-driven framework that identifies and quantifies risk in the current material allowables approach for 17-4PH stainless steel (H1025) produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF).

By using machine learning to model process–structure–property relationships and guide the most informative tests, the AIM-4AM effort seeks to safely reduce physical testing while linking any reductions to clear, probabilistic risk categories. The outcome will enable faster, more cost-effective qualification and certification of AM materials, support agile decision-making for production parts, and accelerate adoption in defense and commercial applications. One award is anticipated.

Important Project Call Dates:

• PADAM 2.0 Kickoff Webinar: February 4 (Registration Required HERE)
• AIM-4AM Kickoff Webinar: February 5 (Registration Required HERE)
• Questions Due from Proposers: February 10
• Membership Eligibility Deadline: March 11
• Submission Deadline: March 25 by 5 p.m., ET
• Anticipated Awards Announcement: April 28