$1.3M America Makes CATACS Program to Validate Corrosion Testing Framework for 3D-Printed Defense Components

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing Technology awarded the $1.3 million CATACS (Corrosion of Additive — Tested At Component Scale) program through America Makes. The program will establish and validate a framework for corrosion testing of 3D-printed metal parts, focusing on representative testing in high-temperature environments and thermal management systems. The goal is to accelerate adoption of additively manufactured components in high-performance defense applications where corrosion resistance is critical. The program addresses a key barrier to wider military adoption of metal additive manufacturing: the lack of standardized corrosion evaluation methods for AM parts.