Project Call For Applied Research Projects – May 2023
The directed project call aims to demonstrate productivity and yield benefits for casting and forging manufacturing via additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, execute techno-economic analyses for metal powder AM, and to bridge component sourcing gaps with AM parts for casting and forging applications. In addition, the project call is seeking innovative solutions for robotic AM process planning for continuous fiber-reinforced composite structures.
This project call is offering a total of $11.7M in federal funding through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD (R&E)), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The RFP includes 10 topic areas of focus. The number of anticipated awards and maximum request for funding varies depending upon the topic area being addressed.
10 Topic Areas:
Demonstrating Lead Time, Productivity, and Yield Improvements for Casting and Forging Manufacturing Operations Using Additive Manufacturing Technologies
- Topic Area 1: Develop/disseminate leading practices and accelerate the adoption of 3D-printed molds/cores for sand castings.
- Topic Area 2: Mature AM ceramic technology and promote adoption for rapid, low-volume production of investment castings for defense applications.
- Topic Area 3: Develop and disseminate tools/frameworks to improve die (die casting) life with AM-printed cooling channels.
- Topic Area 4: Mature and promote methods to add high wear layers and complex geometric features to forgings.
- Topic Area 5: Pilot the industrialization of AM preforms to expedite the forging process for low-volume forged components.
- Topic Area 6: Develop and disseminate leading DED and cold spray practices to promote the adoption of die repair for forging applications.
- Topic Area 7: AM for casting and forging innovations relevant to DoD acquisition or sustainment programs.
Disseminating the Value Proposition of Bridging Component Sourcing Gaps with AM Parts for Critical Casting and Forging Production
- Topic Area 8: Techno-economic analysis and manufacturing readiness assessments to address bridging component sourcing gaps with AM parts for critical casting and forging production.
Identifying and Disseminating the Impact of Strategic R&D to Scale Powder Bed AM Technology
- Topic Area 9: Powder AM techno-economic analysis.
Advancing AM Processing for Continuous Fiber Reinforced Composites
- Topic Area 10: Innovations in robotic additive manufacturing process planning.
Process
This project call involves a one-step proposal process. Multiple proposal submissions are permitted; however, each proposal must be limited to addressing one topic area only. Deadlines for the full project proposal as outlined in the RFP are as follows:
- Topic Areas 1 through 8 are due by 5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, June 28.
- Topic Areas 9 and 10 are due by 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, July 7.
Resources
- Industry Day Kickoff (virtual)
- June 1 at 11:30 a.m.
- Kick-off Webinar Slide Deck
- Webinar Q&A
- NCDMM NDA Agreement
- AM Sub-Recipient Agreement
- DoD Integrated Roadmap
- America Makes Digital Storefront
- Frequently Asked Questions
Membership Eligibility
- The project lead proposer/organization for responses to Topic Areas 1 through 8 must be an America Makes member in good standing by Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
- The project lead proposer/organization for responses to Topic Areas 9 and 10 must be an America Makes member in good standing by Friday, June 23, 2023.
- To achieve a good standing status a non-member organization must establish a new America Makes membership and provide a cash payment or enter into an @Program MOU to satisfy the membership fee obligation for the first year of membership. Cost share provided during the period of performance of the project will be applied to the first renewal cycle of your membership. Information on how to join America Makes is available on the membership page.
- Project team organizations are not required to be America Makes members.
- Membership Request Form
- Membership Project Call Q&A
- Need additional information or clarification? Contact Tiffany Westbay, Membership Director, or Laurie Wittkugle, Membership Coordinator.
Dates/Deadlines:
Project Call Announcement and Posting
5/26/2023
Project Call Kickoff Webinar (Virtual TRX event – Registration Required)
6/1/2023
Questions from Proposers about Scope or Approach Due
6/7/2023
Responses to Proposers about Scope or Approach Due
Questions/responses will be shared with all proposers on americamakes.us
6/12/2023
Topics Areas 1-8
Topic Areas 9-10
Proposal Lead to Complete Fully Executed Membership Agreement
6/14/2023
6/23/2023
Fully Executed NDA with NCDMM (only if proposal contains proprietary information)
6/14/2023
Full Proposal Submission Due Date (Topics 1-8)
Full Proposal Submission Due Date (Topics 9-10)
(Note: No Concept Paper Submission)
6/28/2023
7/7/2023
Topics 1-8
Topics 9-10
Anticipated Decision/Notification of Project Teams
7/21/2023
8/4/2023
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Only the project lead must be a member of America Makes.
- The project lead proposer/organization for responses to topic areas 1 through 8 must be an America Makes member in good standing by Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
- The project lead proposer/organization for responses to topic areas 9 or 10 must be an America Makes member in good standing by Friday, June 23, 2023.
- To achieve a good standing status a non-member organization must establish a new America Makes membership and provide a cash payment or enter into an @Program MOU to satisfy the membership fee obligation for the first year of membership. Cost share provided during the period of performance of the project will be applied to the first renewal cycle of your membership. Information on how to join America Makes is available on the membership page.
- Project team organizations are not required to be America Makes members.
Yes, teams may submit more than one Project Proposal. However, each proposal is limited to addressing one topic area only.
Questions should be emailed to projectcall@americamakes.us. Questions will be posted to the America Makes website according to the schedule. Questions asked AFTER the scheduled Q&A session will NOT be addressed.
Information on how to join America Makes is available at www.americamakes.us/membership. While partners to the lead proposer are not required to be America Makes members, obtaining membership is encouraged. (Note: The foreign membership approval process requires a minimum of three weeks to complete). Any foreign persons conducting work on the project shall be declared within the Project Team Appendix. Any project activities outside the U.S. or by non-U.S. persons must be reported and approved by the America Makes Program Management Office. No work can be completed outside of the United States without this approval. Any use of assets (equipment or personnel) based outside the United States must be clearly identified in your proposal. Please provide the description, location, and utilization (number of hours or percentage of total effort) for any such assets. The lead/team is responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable export control laws and regulations.
Note: No foreign national participation will be allowed for Topic Areas 8 and 9.
Proposals are reviewed by evaluators independent of teams submitting proposals and operate under a confidentiality agreement. Proposers are encouraged to seek legal counsel prior to submitting any response to this Project Call where there is a question regarding the possibility of future patent applications or the patentability of proposal concepts.
The owning organization should list anything that they are leveraging that is not going to be made available to the membership at the completion of the project. This could be a patent number or a description of the background IP that is being leveraged.
Background IP should be declared in Exhibit I. All (foreground) IP produced on the project is subject to the terms of the membership agreement (please review details in RFP).
A valid DD2345 is required for all project team members responding to Topic Areas 8 or 9.
