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Digital Engineering April 2026
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America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) announce a new open project call funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech) worth $1.7M.
The project call, Joint Additive Qualification for Sustainment – Supplier Qualification (JAQS-SQ) – Group 1, is intended to boost integration of non-traditional suppliers and scale Defense Industrial Base capabilities by training and supporting additive manufacturers to meet required process control documents (PCDs) for qualified additive manufacturing (AM) production. Up to five awards are anticipated.
Lack of AM training and audit programs that adhere to established standards, coupled with a restrictive part-by-part qualification process that limits capacity and efficiency, continues to undermine government confidence. This project presents an opportunity to enhance the AM supply chain by improving alignment with government acquisition requirements. By developing comprehensive training and audit programs, the JAQS-SQ efforts will ensure AM contract manufacturers implement essential process controls, fostering efficient and qualified production for government needs.
“Additive manufacturing is at a turning point. The time for talking is over—we need to drive standardization and qualification now to unlock real growth, especially for the Department of Defense,” says Ben DiMarco, technology transition director at America Makes. “As an Institute, we are taking action through efforts like the JAQS-SQ program—rallying industry leaders to accelerate supplier qualification, strengthen supply chain trust, and ensure the defense industrial base is mission-ready.”
“JAQS-SQ moves us significantly closer to rapidly scaling the defense industrial base by aligning joint expertise in performance quality standards with hands-on training and audit-backed assurance,” says Elisa Peters, senior program manager, Advanced Manufacturing Integration OSD ManTech. “Through this program, we’re poised to dramatically boost additive manufacturing readiness and production capacity, aiming for a tenfold increase by 2027.”
Project call timeline:
Proposers of the project call are advised to reference the RFP for full details and guidelines HERE.
Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.
As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a…
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