America Makes and NCDMM opened two defense-focused metal additive manufacturing project calls totaling $25.6M, targeting material interchangeability and integrated in-situ quality assurance. [S1]
For specifying engineers, these calls matter because they directly fund the generation of shared, validated data sets that defense programs need to qualify AM alloys against legacy specifications, and they back a unified in-situ plus post-build nondestructive evaluation framework rather than a single sensor technology. Outcomes from MIAMI and INSITE will inform how future DoD part drawings and acceptance procedures reference AM-specific process, material, and feedstock controls, so any program bidding or supplying into defense metal AM should track the deliverables, the awarded teams, and the data packages that come out of Phase 0 and the final phase. [S1]
What was announced
America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) opened two additive manufacturing project calls worth a combined $25.6 million, with the funding split between the Maturation Initiative for Additive Metals Interchangeability (MIAMI) at $12.4 million and INtegrated System for In-situ Testing and Evaluation (INSITE) at $13.2 million. [S1]
Both calls focus on metal additive manufacturing for defense applications. MIAMI centers on material substitution and INSITE centers on integrating in-situ monitoring with post-build inspection, with stated objectives tied to the Department of War industrial base. [S1]
Program structure and named leads
MIAMI is funded through the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Acquisition and Sustainment, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, and anticipates three awards. The program is structured in two phases, starting with Phase 0 to assess applications and traditional materials where an AM material could substitute, plan qualification-ready process, material, and feedstock specifications, and run preliminary qualification testing to confirm room-temperature mechanical properties meet threshold requirements. A final phase moves into comprehensive testing and demonstration based on the Phase 0 test plan. [S1]
INSITE is funded through the same Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program and additionally through the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office, and anticipates one award. The work is organized as a certifiable quality assurance framework combining in-situ monitoring and post-build NDE, with phased tasking and decision gates covering sensor integration, in-situ data collection, identification of areas of interest for post-build NDE, and correlation of in-situ data with NDE results. [S1]
John Martin, Additive Manufacturing Research Director at America Makes, is quoted on material interchangeability as a strategic step for defense, and Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes, is quoted on inspection for larger and more complex components. [S1]
What it means for additive manufacturing material qualification
For metal AM feedstock and part producers, MIAMI is the more directly material-relevant of the two calls. It funds the work of taking a candidate AM material, comparing it to a legacy alloy, and producing shared data on whether the AM material meets or exceeds critical properties of the incumbent. The deliverable list is specific: process, material, and feedstock specifications, process control documentation, and preliminary qualification testing tied to room-temperature mechanical property thresholds. Specifying engineers should expect any awarded data sets to flow back into how DoD programs reference AM-specific controls on drawings and in acceptance procedures. [S1]
INSITE does not advance a single sensor or NDE method in isolation, so the engineering value sits in the integrated framework and the in-situ to NDE correlation outputs. For suppliers bidding large, dense, or complex geometry defense parts, the program is a leading indicator of how a unified QA approach may be specified in future solicitations. [S1]
Schedule and how to verify at the source
The article lists an INSITE kickoff webinar on May 7 at 3 p.m., a MIAMI kickoff webinar on May 12 at 3 p.m., and an INSITE Industry Day on May 18 at 2 p.m., with proposals for both calls due by 5 p.m. ET on July 9, 2026. Full statement of work, eligibility, and submission requirements are in the respective RFPs. [S1]
The source URL on 3D Printing Industry is a secondary write-up. Award counts, the $25.6M split, the funding offices, and the RFP deadlines should be confirmed against the America Makes and NCDMM project call announcements and the published RFP documents before any bid decision is made. [S1]
Primary notice: Industry news.
Product encyclopedia: Additive Manufacturing Material.