National Additive Manufacturing (AM) Innovation Institute, America Makes announced two new projects on Thursday that would put a total of $8 million toward advancing additive manufacturing for defense and industry purposes. The announcement was made in partnership with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM).
 
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a process that typically uses a metal powder and a machine working directly from a three-dimensional geometry file to produce a desired object, layer by layer. For metal parts, a laser welder takes the powdered metal and builds up the part, one layer at a time depending on the design it is given. Engineers can create those designs in programs similar to those used for 3-D printing. 
 
This method of manufacturing offers additional flexibility, customization and can reduce time or costs for manufacturers. Traditional methods, using molds to shape product parts, would require a longer wait time if a mold needed to be changed; traditional processes also often require "techniques to remove surplus material," according to The Welding Institute. AM, by contrast, builds from the ground up with no dedicated molds. More complex manufactured parts are also possible with AM technology, such as lattice or honeycomb structures.
 
One of the announced projects, a $6 million Powder Alloy Development for Additive Manufacturing (PADAM) 2.0 project, will focus specifically on improving the "readiness, performance, and supply chain resilience of high-temperature refractory alloys for Department of Defense applications," America Makes said in a statement. PADAM will be funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Material and Manufacturing Directorate.
 
The additional, $2 million project aims to bring artificial intelligence into additive manufacturing. Artificial Intelligence for Material Allowables in Additive Manufacturing (AIM-4AM) is set to develop an "AI-driven framework to reduce risk and testing burden in material qualification" for any metals additively manufactured. AIM-4AM will be funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech). 
 
America Makes states that its goal is to expand additive manufacturing technology and education throughout industry, government and economic development organizations. The "public-private partnership" is managed by the not-for-profit National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM).