America Makes (National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute)
The United States' national public-private partnership and Manufacturing USA institute for additive manufacturing technology, education, and industrial base expansion.
- CEO / Founder
- John Wilczynski
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
- Latest Round
- Undisclosed
- Key Investors
- U.S. Department of Defense (OSD ManTech); Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL); National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM)
Technology & Products
Key Products
Technology Roadmaps (AM Technology Roadmap, Casting & Forging Roadmap); Project Calls (competitive R&D funding opportunities e.g. PADAM, QTIME, Delta Qual, GOTHAAM, JAQS-SQ); AM Playbook for Adoption; Education & Workforce Development (EWD) programs; Digital Assets; Satellite Centers; Youngstown Innovation Hub; AMCPR (Additive Manufacturing Center for Practice & Research); Roadmapper 2.0 tool; Members Meeting & Exchange (MMX) and TRX events.
Technological Advantage
Direct alignment with U.S. Department of Defense priorities (OSD ManTech, AFRL); managed by NCDMM with deep defense manufacturing expertise; sole AM-focused Manufacturing USA institute; access to $3.3B+ DoD AM budget; 200+ member organizations spanning the entire AM value chain; established IP management framework; national technology roadmapping authority for AM.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Accelerates the adoption of additive manufacturing across U.S. industry, academia, and government through collaborative R&D project calls, workforce development, technology roadmapping, and industrial base expansion — operating as the first Manufacturing USA institute, managed by NCDMM for the Air Force Research Laboratory.
How They Differentiate
America Makes is the ONLY Manufacturing USA institute exclusively focused on additive manufacturing, whereas LIFT focuses on lightweight metals (including but not limited to AM) and MxD focuses on digital manufacturing/cybersecurity. America Makes also operates as a membership consortium with 200+ members, manages DoD-directed project calls, and serves as the national authority for AM technology roadmapping and workforce development.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
U.S. Department of Defense (OSD ManTech, AFRL), aerospace & defense primes (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX), industrial manufacturers, academic research institutions, government agencies (NASA, NIST, FDA, DOE), and workforce/economic development organizations.
Industry Verticals
Aerospace & Defense; Automotive; Medical/Healthcare; Energy; Industrial Manufacturing; Education & Workforce Development
Competitors
LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow — DoD Manufacturing USA institute for lightweight metals); MxD (Manufacturing x Digital — DoD Manufacturing USA institute for digital manufacturing); ASTM International's AM CoE (Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
200+ member organizations; 13,000+ LinkedIn followers; manages $8M-$14.5M+ per project call cycle; DoD FY2026 budget allocates $3.3B to additive manufacturing projects
Major Milestones
2012: Founded as first Manufacturing USA institute (pilot) with $30M+ federal investment; 2019: John Wilczynski appointed Executive Director; 2026: John Wilczynski promoted to NCDMM VP & Chief Strategy Officer while remaining America Makes Executive Director; Ongoing: Manages multi-million dollar DoD-directed project calls (PADAM, QTIME, Delta Qual, GOTHAAM, JAQS-SQ, AAMI, etc.)
Notable Customers
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL); Boeing; Lockheed Martin; Northrop Grumman; Honeywell International; General Electric (GE Additive); RTX; Rolls-Royce; NASA; NIST; DOE; FDA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs