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The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and America Makes have announced a new open project call 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) worth a total of 6.4 million USD.
The request for proposal for this project call is separated two documents, the first being “Open Project Call 2023” which includes topics 1-6 worth 1.2 million USD in federal funding, and a second document which addressed methods and approaches for sustainable 3D printing operations in topics 7-8, worth 5.2 million in funding.
The six topical areas for Open Project Call 2023 are a direct result of the institute and its membership according to America Makes. Efforts to establish the topics were initiated at AM Technology Roadmap workshops in 2021 and 2022 that focused on five areas: Design, Materials, Process, Value Chain, and AM Genome.
Several workshops have also been conducted by America Makes and its members to address the needs of the domestic 3D printing supply chain for education and workforce development.
These topic areas include:
- Topic 1 – Design for Dimensional Inspection of Internal Features via In-Situ Process Monitoring
- Topic 2 – Thermal Manipulations for Processing Improvements
- Topic 3 – In-Process Sensor Calibration, Characterization Methods, and Operating Limits to Yield Reliable Process Data
- Topic 4 – Frameworks for Utilizing Process Monitoring in Conjunction with Ex-Situ Inspection for Qualification
- Topic 5 – AM Process Pre-Qualification
- Topic 6 – “Should vs. Could” Tool and Training
Brandon Ribic, Technology Director at America Makes said: “This is a prime example of how member input is leading to opportunities to execute and advance AM technologies and education and workforce development for the benefit of U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.”
Topic 7 is titled Analysis of AM Sustainability and Environmental Benefits, and Topic 8 is titled Methods for Demonstrating Operational Qualification. America Makes says these topics aim to develop and demonstrate sustainable practices and products through design, material selection and development, material handling, and/or recycling. The RFP also seeks responses that detail methods and approaches delivering validated objective to substantiate robust 3D printing operations according to America Makes.
“Fundamentally, this opportunity will help to accelerate the journey of qualifying AM materials, practices, and processes as we once again convene the brightest minds in the industry,” added Ribic. “Through demonstration and evidence showing sustainable practices and quality control measures, we can further empower manufacturing and domestic supply chain stakeholders to embrace the full potential of additive technology.”
Details of the project call can be found here.
Read more: America Makes names new executive committee members
