DISRUPTIVE MANUFACTURINGRapid Manufacturing of Aerospace Structures (RMAS) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The DISRUPTIVE MANUFACTURING Rapid Manufacturing of Aerospace Structures (RMAS) opportunity is an Air Force Research Laboratory research and development funding call focused on moving "rapid prototyping" methods beyond one-off prototypes and into real manufacturing and assembly workflows for aerospace structures. The core idea is to take additive, layer-based fabrication approaches that are already widely used to quickly produce complex 3D shapes from CAD models, and mature them into practical, repeatable, and cost-effective processes suitable for producing aerospace structural components and assemblies. In other words, the program is looking for ways to treat these technologies not just as tools for design validation, but as viable methods for producing flight-relevant hardware or structural elements, with the flexibility and potential cost advantages that come from building parts directly from digital models.

Technically, the opportunity is grounded in the "slice-and-build" concept common to rapid prototyping: a CAD model is converted into a series of 2D layers, and those layer instructions are sent to fabrication equipment that builds the part incrementally, layer by layer. The announcement explicitly references several representative rapid prototyping technologies, including stereolithography (SL), selective laser sintering (SLS), laminated object manufacturing (LOM), and fused deposition modeling (FDM). These examples signal that the Air Force is interested in a broad set of additive and layer-manufacturing approaches, rather than limiting the call to a single machine type or material system. The emphasis is on the manufacturing transition: taking methods known for speed and geometric freedom and developing them into processes that can support production needs, including repeatability, quality control, and integration into manufacturing floor practices.

From a programmatic standpoint, the call frames rapid manufacturing as potentially "disruptive" because it can be more flexible than conventional manufacturing and, in certain cases, significantly more cost effective. The announcement notes that rapid prototyping processes have already proven economically feasible for producing non-structural parts in quantity, and RMAS is positioned as the next step: expanding capability toward aerospace structures, meaning parts where performance, reliability, and integration constraints are more demanding. While the notice does not list specific technical deliverables in the excerpt provided, its intent is clear: proposals should address the challenges of fabricating and/or assembling aerospace structural components using these rapid, digital-to-physical fabrication routes, and should help bridge the gap between prototype-level demonstrations and manufacturing-floor readiness.

Administratively, this opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number BAA 08 08 PKM CALL6 and is associated with the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (CFDA 12.800). It falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. The funding instruments listed include cooperative agreement, grant, and procurement contract, which typically indicates flexibility in how the government might structure awards depending on the nature of the work, the degree of collaboration anticipated, and contracting needs. The opportunity is described as discretionary and does not require cost sharing or matching, lowering the barrier for participation compared to programs that mandate recipient cost contributions.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant types (for example, companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full text of the announcement. Key dates provided include a posted and creation date of November 9, 2009, with an original and current closing date of December 9, 2009, and an archive date of January 8, 2010. For access issues or administrative questions about the announcement, the contact listed is Nicholas J. Voiles, Contracting Officer, at (937) 656-9092.

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