America Makes Taps 25 Suppliers for $10.5M Metal AM Qualification Program
America Makes and NCDMM have selected 25 teams for a $10.5 million initiative to bolster the US defense industrial base in metal additive manufacturing, establishing common training and audit standards.
America Makes, in collaboration with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), has identified 25 project teams to participate in a significant $10.5 million program aimed at expanding the domestic defense industrial base for metal additive manufacturing.
The initiative, dubbed Joint Additive Qualification for Sustainment – Supplier Qualification Groups 2 and 3 (JAQS-SQ), will introduce standardized training and auditing requirements for suppliers utilizing laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) processes.
Funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office, the JAQS-SQ project seeks to expedite the qualification of additive manufacturing suppliers and assist non-traditional manufacturers in meeting defense acquisition and production demands. The program's expansion now brings the total JAQS network to 31 suppliers, representing a coordinated effort to qualify and grow additive manufacturing capabilities for national defense readiness.
Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research will contribute to developing the training curriculum. This training will focus on equipping production and engineering operations managers with the knowledge to implement qualification procedures within their facilities, covering process control documents and additive manufacturing qualification principles. Following training, participating suppliers will undergo an audit to verify their ability to operate as qualified additive manufacturing suppliers for the Department of War, demonstrating proficiency in performance qualification as per the established curriculum.
The selected organizations span various facets of the metal additive manufacturing supply chain, including machine developers, production service providers, aerospace manufacturers, and materials suppliers. This diverse group includes established companies alongside smaller, non-traditional suppliers that the program aims to integrate into the defense supply chain. Awardees will report on their progress at industry events throughout the project's execution phase.
This initiative represents a crucial step in standardizing and scaling metal additive manufacturing for defense applications. By establishing common training and audit protocols for LPBF and DED, America Makes is addressing a key bottleneck in supplier qualification. This effort aims to create a more robust and accessible defense supply chain, potentially reducing reliance on traditional manufacturing and accelerating the adoption of AM for critical components.
Edited by the news editor with AI from the original report — please refer to the original source.