America Makes Announces Open Project Call Worth $6.4M in Funding
The six topical areas for the Open Project Call 2023 were initiated at AM Technology Roadmap workshops in 2021 and 2022, and focused on needs prioritized for the five topics: Design, Materials, Process, Value Chain and AM Genome.
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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. The number of anticipated awards and maximum funding will vary depending on the topic area being addressed.
The request for proposal (RFP) for this project call is separated into two documents:
- Open Project Call 2023 includes Topics 1-6 worth $2 million in federal funding
- Methods and Approaches for Sustainable Additive Manufacturing (AM) Operations are addressed in Topics 7-8 worth $5.2 million in funding.
The six topical areas for the Open Project Call 2023 are a direct result of the actions of the Institute and its membership. Efforts to establish these topics were initiated at AM Technology Roadmap workshops in 2021 and 2022, and focused on needs prioritized for the five topics: Design, Materials, Process, Value Chain and AM Genome.
Additionally, several workshops have been conducted by America Makes and its members to address the needs of the domestic AM supply chain for education and workforce development (EWD). Topic areas include:
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- 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 Prequalification
- Topic 6 – “Should verus Could” Tool and Training
The topics that compose the Open Project Call 2023 utilize workshop outputs and member inputs, as well as working and advisory group subject matter expertise to identify and formulate topics for the benefit of the AM community. “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,” says Brandon Ribic, technology director at America Makes.
Topics 7 and 8 of the Methods and Approaches for Sustainable AM Operations project call 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 evidence to substantiate robust AM manufacturing operations (operational qualification). Topic areas include:
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- Topic 7 – Analysis of AM Sustainability and Environmental Benefits
- Topic 8 – Methods for Demonstrating Operational Qualification
“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,” Ribic adds. “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.”
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- A Kickoff Webinar is set for Thursday, July 27, 2023, at Virtual TRX (Registration is Required)
- Membership Eligibility Deadline is:
- Thursday, August 10 for those receiving federal funding (Topics 1-6)
- Thursday, August 10 for proposal lead (Topics 7-8).
- Submission Deadline is Friday, August 25 by 5 p.m., ET
- Anticipated Awards Announcement is Monday, September 25
For full details and guidelines, visit America Makes Open Project Call 2023.
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