America Makes Announces IMPACT 2.0 Project Call Worth $6.6 Million in Funding

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) have announced a new open project call funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program (OSD ManTech) worth a total of $6.6M. The project call for Improvements in Manufacturing Productivity via Additive Capabilities and Techno-Economic Analysis 2.0 (IMPACT 2.0) consists of two areas of focus and aims to demonstrate lead time, productivity and yield improvements for casting and forging (C&F) manufacturing operations using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. Seven awards are anticipated with the maximum request for funding varying depending upon the specific topic area.

The IMPACT 2.0 request for proposal (RFP) is separated into two documents, Part A and Part B.

1. Topics 1-4 ($5.1 million)
   • Topic 1 ($2 million): Mature and Promote Methods to Add Functional Surfaces and Complex Geometric Features to Forgings
   • Topic 2 ($1.5 million): Disseminate Leading Practices and Promote the Adoption of 3D printed Sand Molds/Cores
   • Topic 3 ($1.1 million): Techno-Economic Analysis Tool for Selection of Metal Part Manufacturing Processes
   • Topic 4 ($500,000): Ensure Operational Recovery of Industrial Production
      
2. Rapid Casting Demonstration Challenge – Two Step ($1.5 million)

“Over the last two decades, the U.S. casting and forging industry has faced challenges related to capability and capacity,” says John Martin, AM research director at America Makes. “This poses a significant obstacle in acquiring essential components for critical weapons and support platforms, making it of vital importance to defense and economic stability.”

The IMPACT project call aims to bring together members from industry, academia, government workforce and economic development organizations to address these types of challenges by working together to accelerate the adoption of AM and the nation's global manufacturing competitiveness.

“Many AM technologies that can be used to augment casting operations are mature and have been demonstrated successfully in many areas throughout the supply chain,” Martin adds. “However, these capabilities not only need to be disseminated and further scaled but also challenged in a real-life demand scenario. For this reason, the IMPACT 2.0 project call offers two parts to help identify strengths and weaknesses within these integrated manufacturing approaches. This call to action will ultimately enable our members and project teams to research, develop and implement advanced solutions in the C&F sector and mitigate risks to the supply chain that impact defense and the economy.”

Project call timeline:

• Questions Due from Proposers about Scope or Approach: April 22
• Membership Eligibility Deadline:
  • May 29 for Part A/Topics 1-4
  • June 12 for Part B/Step 1 and Step 2
• Submission Deadline by 5 p.m., ET:
  • June 14 for Part A/Topics 1-4
  • May 10 for Part B/Step 1; June 28 for Part B/Step 2
• Anticipated Awards Announcement is July 24

Proposers for the project call are advised to reference the RFP for full details and guidelines for Improvements in Manufacturing Productivity via Additive Capabilities and Techno-Economic Analysis 2.0 (IMPACT 2.0):

America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for AM, America Makes is a leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, nongovernment agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, the group is working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase the nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. America Makes is the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA infrastructure and is driven by the NCDMM.