America Makes, the national accelerator for additive manufacturing innovation, and its managing partner, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), have announced a new open project call funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech). The initiative, titled Corrosion of Additive – Tested At Component Scale (CATACS), provides $1.3 million in total funding to support the development and validation of a framework for corrosion testing of metal additively manufactured components. Two awards are expected, with proposals due by December 2, 2025, and award announcements planned for January 6, 2026.
CATACS targets a critical barrier to the adoption of metal additive manufacturing (AM) in defense: the lack of standardized corrosion testing and qualification protocols. AM enables the rapid, customizable production of complex components, yet parts fabricated using this technology often display microstructural and surface variations that differ from conventionally manufactured metals, leading to distinct corrosion behaviors. The initiative will evaluate corrosion at the component scale under realistic operational conditions, focusing on two primary areas.
Topic 1, Corrosion of AM Components at Elevated Temperatures, addresses parts used in high-temperature applications, assessing corrosion performance under representative environments such as pressure-vessel conditions, fuel-air mixtures, and metallurgical interactions with adjoining materials. Topic 2, Corrosion of AM Components for Thermal Management, examines thermal management components exposed to working fluids across varied thermal gradients and complex internal channels. Both focus areas aim to establish consistent data collection methods that reflect end-use conditions more accurately than coupon-level testing.
“CATACS is about putting real AM hardware to the test in harsh conditions — because corrosion will find the weak points,” said Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes. “We’re asking proposers to bring their best parts, set a plan to stress them in extreme environments, and let the sea attack. That is CATACS.”
Eligible projects must demonstrate validated prototypes and manufacturing processes rather than early-stage concepts. Proposals should align with Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4–7 and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) 4–7, indicating demonstration in relevant environments and pilot production capability. Subawards are permitted under the RFP provided recipients meet federal compliance and eligibility requirements. Cost-share credits earned through participation may be applied toward America Makes membership fees for future cycles, though credits will eventually expire if unused.
America Makes was established to accelerate the development and deployment of additive and 3D printing technologies that strengthen U.S. manufacturing readiness. Its programs often target critical defense challenges such as material qualification, supply chain resilience, and process validation. By supporting component-level testing, this initiative aims to generate corrosion performance data applicable across multiple alloys and manufacturing conditions relevant to defense and aerospace environments.
Additional clarifications from the project Q&A underscore the applied nature of the program. Proposers may include additive design variations in their corrosion studies, define their own “high-temperature” parameters based on materials and use cases, and integrate AI or machine learning models for corrosion prediction under the program’s intellectual property framework. Representative testing should simulate joining methods and assembled part conditions but does not need to replicate full system configurations. While specific data quantities will depend on testing methodology, emphasis is placed on component-scale validation rather than laboratory coupons.
The project timeline includes a kickoff webinar on October 16, 2025, with proposer questions due by October 23, and membership eligibility confirmed by November 20. Full proposal submissions close at 5 p.m. ET on December 2, 2025. Details and registration links are available through the official CATACS portal.
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Featured image shows program overview graphic for CATACS project call. Image via America Makes.
