YOUNGSTOWN, OH, USA, Jun 5, 2026 — America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) are proud to announce the winners of a recent project call funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSW ManTech), worth a total of $2M. The objective of the project call, Artificial Intelligence for Material Allowables in Additive Manufacturing (AIM-4AM), is to develop an AI-driven framework to identify and quantify risk in the current material allowables approach for 17-4PH stainless steel (H1025) produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). By using machine learning to model process–structure–property relationships and guide the most informative tests, the effort seeks to safely reduce physical testing while linking any reductions to clear, probabilistic risk categories. The outcome will enable faster, more cost-effective qualification and certification of AM materials, support agile decision-making for production parts, and accelerate adoption in defense and commercial applications.
“AIM 4AM represents a critical step toward modernizing how we qualify and certify advanced materials, enabling faster, more data driven decision making across defense and industrial applications,” said John Martin, Additive Manufacturing Research Director at America Makes. “By applying artificial intelligence to target the highest value tests and quantify risk with greater precision, the Institute is helping to reduce uncertainty while accelerating the pathway to field ready additive manufacturing solutions. Congratulations to the awardees as their efforts strengthen and advance the manufacturing industrial base.”
Below are the award winners:
- Team Lead:Dyndrite
- Project Team: Mimo Technik Printed Metal, RTX Technology Research Center (RTRC)
Project teams will report on their progress at the America Makes Technical Review and Exchange (TRX) and other industry events during the execution phase of the program.
About America Makes
America Makes is the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing (AM) technology and education. America Makes members from industry, academia, government, workforce and economic development organizations, work together to accelerate the adoption of AM and the nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Founded in 2012 as the Department of Defense’s national manufacturing innovation institute for AM and first of the Manufacturing USA network, America Makes is based in Youngstown, Ohio, and managed by the not-for-profit National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information, visit americamakes.us.
