Department of Defense Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III
The Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III program is one of three active authorities in the Defense Production Act, which was first signed into law in 1950 and was last renewed in 2018. The Title III program provides the President broad authority to ensure the timely availability of essential domestic industrial resources to support national defense and homeland security requirements through the use of highly tailored economic incentives.
NIST MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites applications from current MEP Centers to add capabilities to the MEP Program, including the development of projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems, that are not already provided for under an applicant’s and its collaborating Center’s base MEP award.
Defense R&D Outlook: Additive Manufacturing
In November 2016, when the Department of Defense (DOD) released its first Additive Manufacturing Roadmap, the document began with a sentence that has proven to be something of an understatement: “Additive manufacturing (AM), which includes the commonly used term ‘3D printing,’ is a rapidly growing and changing discipline.”
It’s been less than three years since then. While much of the world continues to think of AM technology as a convenient way to make sturdy plastic objects from 3D printers, military personnel at all levels have been pushing its limits far beyond what most imagined possible.
Metal X can now 3D print pure copper parts
The US manufacturer Markforged announced last week that it would be possible to 3D print pure copper parts on its Metal X machine – a metal additive manufacturing solution that is relatively more accessible than competing systems. This is interesting news for all users of metal 3D printing as copper remains a difficult material to print using a Laser Powder Bed Fusion process. The addition of copper to its range of materials, in filament form, should enable users of the Markforged solution to produce complex components with high electrical and thermal conductivity.