Scaling additive manufacturing (AM) supply chains, particularly for metal powder-based processes, depends on the economic viability of products. The development of critical high-temperature metal alloys in powder form requires customer demand, substantiated performance, and cost benefit. These drivers mature AM capabilities across all domains. Without a clear understanding of the benefits, obtaining strategic investment and expanding manufacturing capacity are nearly impossible. The resulting impacts delay development cycles, disrupt qualification efforts, and jeopardize programs.
Meanwhile, powder producers who support the metal AM industry face an economic dilemma: business models that support premature alloys, or production cleanouts, can trigger costly downtime for their powder-producing assets. Advancing development without straining the broader manufacturing supply chain is challenging. As a result, the feedstock supply chain struggles to produce small pilot powder batches without causing disruptions elsewhere and inflated costs.
Enter the Critical Alloy Powder Pilot (CAPP), an initiative designed to change the pace. CAPP is building a coordinated pathway to develop and deliver critical alloy powders at pilot scale (~2000-lb batches). The central concept aligns customer and supplier priorities, then moves quickly and deliberately to identify, produce, and validate the powders that matter most for national needs.
Ben DiMarco. Image courtesy of America Makes.
To do this, according to Ben DiMarco, Technology Transition Director at America Makes, CAPP has established two complementary advisory bodies: a Government Advisory Board (GAB) and an Industry Advisory Board (IAB). The GAB brings mission priorities and national security considerations to the forefront. The IAB, comprising 17 leading experts from industry and academia, brings practical know-how across the full lifecycle, from chemistry and master melt to atomization (with an initial focus on EIGA – Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization), downstream processing, and application demand.
“The IAB is an important piece to the CAPP puzzle,” explained DiMarco. “Our goal is to bring industry experts together, identify needs, and communicate them to the GAB and CAPP program. This ensures we select the most impactful alloy candidates.”
In practice, the IAB will convene during regular virtual and in-person sessions, such as workshops, symposia, and technical reviews, to evaluate both novel and legacy refractory alloy powders. They aim to provide recommendations for pilot-scale production, guided by collective expertise and grounded in the realities of manufacturing readiness.
“By drawing on the breadth of America Makes membership and the U.S. defense industrial base, this initiative convenes leading experts to spark Apollo-era momentum in alloy development, reducing MRL gaps for new materials, surpassing legacy alloy limits, and strengthening supply chains against disruption,” noted DiMarco.
Why does this matter? DiMarco said it’s because novel materials are a key pacesetter for AM progress. When lead times are reduced from years to months, research teams can iterate faster. Process windows can be established sooner. Qualification pathways become more realistic, and equipment utilization improves as alloy switches and cleanouts are planned against a more reliable supply. Just as importantly, he noted, domestic pilot-scale routes create options for multiple sources, validated processes, and a foundation for scaling that make the supply chain more resilient. In defense, aerospace, and energy applications where refractory and high-temperature alloys are mission-critical, that resilience directly translates into performance, cost certainty, and schedule confidence.
“The projected impacts of CAPP are both practical and strategic,” DiMarco explained. On the practical side, expect shorter timelines for accessing critical powders, better alignment between end-use requirements and feedstock specifications, and reduced downtime for atomization and AM assets. On the strategic side, CAPP aims to advance U.S. leadership in critical alloy development by engaging the commercial base and maturing the powders that underpin next-generation systems. “It’s about moving promising materials out of the lab and into real-world production and qualification, and closing the gap between concept and capability,” he said.
Ultimately, CAPP is filling a gap that the AM space has been missing. It brings clearer direction, informed decision-making, and pilot-scale capacity. Accelerating access to the right powders unlocks the kind of material innovation that drives better performance, lowers risk, and strengthens national security.
The IAB will continue to meet, and America Makes will present findings as 2026 progresses. If you have relevant materials or information, please contact DiMarco at ben.dimarco@ncdmm.org.
This article is part of editorial coverage of the Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) 2026 event, which will take place in New York City, February 24-26, and will bring together leaders from across the additive manufacturing industry. Learn more and register at AMS 2026.
About the Author:
Eartha Hopkins is the Content Coordinator for America Makes at the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), a role she began in 2024. Before joining America Makes, Eartha served as communications specialist for The Red Zone, leading its rebranding and marketing efforts, and as a communications consultant supporting organizations such as The Raymond John Wean Foundation and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from The Ohio State University.
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