The additive-manufacturing industry packed a full news cycle into Wednesday's briefs, led by defence work. America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining announced the winners of the MIAMI project call — the Maturation Initiative for Additive Metals Interchangeability — worth $12.4 million in funding, 3DPrint.com reports.
The point of MIAMI is to validate that metallic additive-manufacturing materials can reliably replace traditional alloys used in U.S. defence weapon-system components, reducing redundant testing and speeding qualification. The winning teams are led by Northrop Grumman, with partners including Georgia Tech, and by Fastech, with partners including Auburn University's National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence, Texas A&M University and AML3D.
Elsewhere in the briefs: AM Europe released a new report; Artec 3D launched its Artec Twins software; WeeklyVentures launched CADlingo 2.0, an AI CAD service; and ENGO launched augmented-reality smart glasses with 3D-printed titanium temples.
Together, the items trace the industry's current shape — qualification science for defence at one end, consumer eyewear at the other, and software in the middle trying to make both easier to design for.
