Youngstown’s America Makes announces $920k for 3d printing research

America Makes, a Youngstown-based leading organization in 3D printing research, announced Tuesday a new opportunity for groups to get funding for projects that could improve how military parts are repaired and how things are made using advanced 3D printing.

The program, called "High Priority Open Topics for Additive Manufacturing," offers a total of $920,000 in funding. It's supported by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office.

The money will go towards two main areas. One area focuses on using 3D printing to fix broken parts for things like military equipment. This could involve techniques like "directed energy deposition" and "cold spray," which essentially rebuild parts using layers of material. The other area looks at "beam shaping" in a type of 3D printing called "laser powder bed fusion", aiming to make the printing process more precise and efficient. Both topics deal with metal materials.

America Makes hopes these projects will help lower costs, speed up production, and boost manufacturing capabilities that are important for national defense. Two awards are expected, one for each topic area.

John Martin, America Makes' AM Research Director, explained that the topics were chosen after a lot of discussions and surveys with various experts and defense groups. This ensures the projects focus on the most important needs for additive manufacturing, especially for the military.

Organizations interested in applying have until July 15, 2025, to submit their proposals. A webinar will be held on May 27, 2025, for those who want to learn more.