EWI Wins $13.2M America Makes Grant for Integrated AM Quality System

A $13.2M Push for Better Metal AM Quality Checks

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining have awarded $13.2 million to EWI to develop an integrated quality assurance system for additive manufacturing. The program, called INSITE, aims to combine real-time process monitoring with post-build nondestructive evaluation into a single certifiable framework.

Why This Is Different From Existing Approaches

Most metal AM quality programs treat in-situ sensors and post-build inspection as separate activities. INSITE is designed to unify them. The goal is a QA system that the U.S. defense industrial base can actually certify, not just demonstrate. If it works, it would let manufacturers prove part quality without piecing together evidence from multiple disconnected software tools.

Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes, said the initiative brings together advanced analytics, real-time process monitoring, and nondestructive evaluation into a more comprehensive approach. The focus is on building confidence in AM technologies so adoption across defense suppliers can accelerate.

What EWI Will Build

EWI leads the project with a team of partners focused on developing integrated sensing, data fusion, and inspection workflows. The system is meant to support serial production of safety-critical components, where defect detection and traceability are non-negotiable. The funding comes from the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office.

The award signals that Washington sees additive manufacturing as mature enough to fund quality infrastructure rather than just basic research. For metal AM shops chasing defense contracts, a certifiable integrated QA path could become a competitive requirement.