America Makes CATACS Winners Announced — RTX and Colorado School of Mines Lead $1.3M Defense Corrosion Study

Standardizing Metal AM for Defense Applications

The winners of America Makes Corrosion of Additive – Tested At Component Scale (CATACS) Project Call have been officially announced. This $1.3 million initiative, awarded through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech), aims to establish standardized corrosion testing methods for metal 3D printed components in defense applications.

Breaking Down the Barriers

Additive manufacturing is increasingly critical to the Department of Defense due to its ability to deliver rapid, customizable production. However, certification and qualification for metal 3D printed parts remains a significant barrier because there simply aren't widely accepted testing and processing methods.

The CATACS program will establish, demonstrate, and validate a framework for evaluating 3D printed metal part corrosion testing needs, focusing on representative testing of components in high-temperature environments and thermal management systems.

The Winners

Topic 1: Corrosion of AM Components at Elevated Temperatures
Winner: RTX Technology Research Center (RTRC)

Topic 2: Corrosion of AM Components for Thermal Management
Winner: Colorado School of Mines

The Colorado School of Mines team includes Conflux Technology, Elementum 3D, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, NIST, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Why This Matters

The goal is to accelerate adoption of AM parts in high-performance defense systems by offering a reliable corrosion testing framework. As defense agencies increasingly turn to 3D printing for rapid prototyping and production, having standardized quality assurance methods becomes crucial for deployment.