YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining on Wednesday announced the winners of a recent project call worth a total of $1.3 million.

The Corrosion of Additive – Tested at Component Scale project call, awarded through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office, focuses on two main topic areas and will demonstrate and validate a framework for evaluating corrosion testing needs and generate data applicable to metal additive manufacturing with similar corrosion performance requirements.

Here are the award winners and related topic areas:

Topic 1: Corrosion of AM Components at Elevated Temperatures

  • Team Lead: RTX Technology Research Center. 

Topic 2: Corrosion of AM Components for Thermal Management 

  • Team Lead: Colorado School of Mines.
  • Project Team: Conflux Technology Pty Ltd., Elementum 3D, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (Corrosion and Coatings Engineering Branch), National Institute of Standards Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Ohio University and Quintus Technologies.

Additive manufacturing is of significant interest to the U.S. Department of Defense as it enables rapid, customizable production, a news release states. However, additive manufacturing qualification and certification for metal parts remain a barrier due to a lack of widely accepted testing and processing methods. Material properties produced from additive manufacturing can differ from traditional manufacturing methods, leading to unique corrosion concerns. 

The CATACS program aims to establish and validate a framework for evaluating additive manufacturing metal part corrosion testing needs, focusing on representative testing at the component scale in two critical areas: high-temperature environments and thermal management systems.

By addressing these gaps, the CATACS program looks to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing parts in high-performance defense systems by establishing a reliable corrosion testing framework that streamlines certification, strengthening manufacturing readiness and scaling the defense industrial base, the release states. 

Project teams will report on their progress at the America Makes Technical Review and Exchange and other industry events during the execution phase of the program.