YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining on Monday announced the winner of a recent project call worth $5.5 million in funding.
The project, Generation of Technical-Data for High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Material, is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office. Its objective is to develop material allowables for a high-strength, 7075-T73-equivalent aluminum alloy across three classes of laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing systems, enabling scalable production on small-, medium- and large-format printers, a news release states.
By delivering a corrosion-resistant, aerospace-grade alloy with broad defense and commercial applications, the project will develop ways to generate a strong return on investment for original equipment manufacturers and the organic industrial base as it transitions into qualified production, the release states.
“Qualifying advanced [additive manufacturing] materials to deliver robust material data supporting durable, corrosion-resistant components for critical defense applications directly strengthens the defense industrial base,” said John Martin, additive manufacturing research director at America Makes. “By delivering validated data and maturing LPBF capability, we’re giving U.S. manufacturers what they need to produce reliable components for critical defense systems.”
The winner is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Project team partners include Lockheed Martin; Northrop Grumman; Airbus Space & Defense + АР Works; MIMO Technik; Quadrus Corp.; Hadrian Additive; Nikon AM; EOS America; Valimet; Toyal America; Equispheres; AMG Aluminum; Rio Tinto; Sunrise Metals; Nio Corp.; Dyndrite; and Scot Forge.