America Makes Announces $25.6 Million in Project Funding

America Makes and the US National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) have announced two new project calls worth a combined US$25.6 million in funding.

The first, the Maturation Initiative for Additive Metals Interchangeability (MIAMI), is worth $12.4 million and is funded through the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Acquisition and Sustainment, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program. The effort aims to validate that metallic additive manufacturing (AM) materials can reliably replace traditional alloys in Department of War weapon system components. Project teams will select candidate parts, define performance requirements, and generate shared, validated data demonstrating that AM materials meet or exceed the critical properties of the legacy alloys they are intended to substitute. Three awards are anticipated.

“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.”

The MIAMI project call consists of two phases, beginning with Phase 0, which will provide a documented assessment of applications and traditional materials where the selected AM material is expected to serve as a viable substitute. Phase 0 work includes process definition and preliminary qualification testing to confirm that defined process controls produce AM material with room-temperature mechanical properties that meet established threshold requirements. Phase 0 will be followed by a final phase of comprehensive testing and demonstration.

The second project call, INtegrated System for In-situ Testing & Evaluation (INSITE), worth $13.2 million, is funded through the IBAS Program and the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office. One award is anticipated.

This project’s objective is to establish an integrated AM quality-assurance system that unifies in situ monitoring and post-build inspection to strengthen defect detection and deliver production-ready capabilities across the US supply base. The combined in situ and post-build nondestructive evaluation (NDE) approach targets some of AM’s most challenging parts—large components, dense materials, and complex geometries that are difficult to assess using traditional methods. Rather than advancing individual sensing or NDE technologies in isolation, the program focuses on developing and demonstrating an integrated quality assurance system within a certifiable framework.

“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.”

The INSITE project consists of three phased decision gates: initial sensor integration into the AM machine and collection of in situ data, demonstration that in situ data can identify areas of interest for post-build NDE, and correlation of in situ data with NDE results.

Proposals for both project calls are due no later than 5 p.m. (ET) on 9 July 2026. Details and proposal guidelines are available at americamakes.us.

The following webinars and Industry Day are scheduled for those interested in proposing. Registration is required for all three events:

INSITE Kickoff Webinar: 7 May, 3 p.m. (ET). Register here.

MIAMI Kickoff Webinar: 12 May, 3 p.m. (ET). Register here.

INSITE Industry Day Webinar (additional Q&A): 18 May, 2 p.m. (ET). Register here.