America Makes Awards $1.1M to Advance US-UK AM Interoperability

America Makes revealed the two award teams selected to pursue cross-border additive manufacturing interoperability as part of the AAMI project call, a targeted effort to establish AM equivalency and streamline qualification between U.S. and U.K. defense sustainment networks. The $1.1 million program, funded by OSD(R&E) and managed by NCDMM, stresses practical outcomes for production-grade LPBF of critical parts and aims to align qualification approaches that regulators and suppliers on both sides of the Atlantic can use.

One award team is led by Lockheed Martin and includes ASTM International and Additive Manufacturing Solutions, Ltd. as project partners. The other is led by Eaton Corporation with partners EOS North America, Materials Solutions (a Siemens Energy business), and 3Degrees. Both teams will focus on demonstrating reproducible LPBF processes, shared metrics for equivalency, and approaches that support rapid qualification for defense-critical components across allied suppliers.

The choice of partners signals an emphasis on connecting standards bodies, OEM integrators, machine and powder suppliers, and service bureaus. ASTM International’s participation emphasizes standards alignment as a core deliverable, while equipment and materials partners bring process expertise needed to demonstrate practical equivalency rather than theoretical models. Awardees will report progress at America Makes events known as TRX, where engineers, procurement officers, and supply-chain managers can evaluate interim results and test methods.

For community members who design, qualify, or manufacture LPBF parts, the AAMI work could reduce barriers to international sourcing and speed replacement part production for legacy systems. Verify qualification protocols, material certifications, and process controls against forthcoming AAMI outputs. Small job shops and materials suppliers should monitor ASTM-aligned updates and TRX briefings for opportunities to adopt aligned test methods or to participate in downstream qualification steps.

This effort targets tangible supply-chain resilience: standardized equivalency methods can let authorized suppliers in different countries produce parts that meet a common qualification baseline, reducing lead times and single-source risk for sustainment. Follow America Makes for detailed deliverables and TRX schedules at americamakes.us/america-makes-announces-winners-of-aami-project-call-worth-1-1m-in-funding/ to track demonstrations, test metrics, and how new international qualification approaches may affect procurement and in-house qualification practices.