Aerospace AM has demonstrated its ability to make complex parts. The next challenge is qualifying materials and processes that can support reliable production at scale. 

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining have selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to lead Project GOTHAAM, a $5.5 million program focused on one of the most important barriers to broader aerospace Additive Manufacturing adoption: qualifying high-strength aluminum alloys for reliable production across multiple Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) machine platforms. 

Equispheres is proud to be a named participant in the team, alongside Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus Space & Defense + APWORKS, machine and process technology companies, material suppliers, and upstream producers.  

The breadth of the consortium reflects the extent to which aerospace production depends on a manufacturing system that can meet requirements consistently. From material input through finished part, every element contributes to the production outcome. 

Generation Of Technical-data for High-strength Aluminum Alloy Material (GOTHAAM) is designed to advance qualification of high-strength aluminum alloy material with performance equivalent to 7075-T73 across three classes of L-PBF systems. The consortium is advancing qualification of high-strength Scalmalloy^® and other potential alloys, creating a pathway for lightweight structures intended for demanding aerospace and defense applications.  

Qualification is what turns aerospace AM into production capability 

Aerospace Additive Manufacturing (AM) has moved well beyond its earliest role as a rapid-prototyping tool. It is increasingly being applied to direct-part production where design flexibility and production capability create an advantage.  

For aerospace manufacturers, AM becomes a stronger production choice when part requirements favor lightweight structures, complex geometries, part consolidation, or greater production flexibility. 

The harder question is how to make those parts with the repeatability, data, and control required for aerospace production programs. 

That is where Additive Manufacturing qualification becomes decisive. Production programs require statistically supported material data, defined process limits, controlled material specifications, and evidence that performance can be reproduced across machines and production environments. 

Project GOTHAAM addresses that requirement directly.  

In Phase 0, the team will establish baseline material, process, and production requirements, develop a Process Control Document (PCD), and generate a preliminary qualification dataset.  

In Phase 1, the program will use those controls to generate Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS)-compliant material allowables across small-, medium-, and large-format multi-laser L-PBF systems. 

For aerospace AM, qualification provides the bridge between technical capability and production capability. 

A production system must work as a system 

The qualification challenge is a useful reminder that material selection is integrated with the rest of the production system. The part requirement sets the target. That target drives material properties, process parameters, machine configuration, post-processing, inspection, and quality-control requirements. Each layer must work with the others. 

Beyond the alloy chemistry, powder characteristics influence spreading, energy absorption, melt behavior, part density, surface quality, and mechanical performance. Those interactions become more important when the same material has to support repeatable processing across different machine platforms, build formats, and production environments. 

The material’s role is to support the production requirements of the part and program: reliable processing, repeatable results, process flexibility, and a path to scalable manufacturing. 

Why high-strength aluminum expands the aerospace application space 

Additive Manufacturing can help aerospace manufacturers reduce weight, consolidate complex assemblies, and produce geometries that are difficult to achieve with conventional processes. Those advantages become especially valuable when they can be combined with the structural performance required for flight-worthy parts. 

Weight and structural performance are tightly connected in aerospace. High-strength aluminum creates an opportunity to use AM design freedom for lightweight structures without defaulting to heavier or more expensive material systems. The challenge is achieving the required combination of strength, corrosion resistance, processability, and qualification data. 

One of the alloy compositions relevant to this work is Scalmalloy^®, which was developed specifically for AM and combines high strength with corrosion resistance and low density. In 2025, APWORKS and Equispheres announced a collaboration to establish North American production capacity for Scalmalloy. That work is part of a broader shift toward specialized aluminum alloys designed around the requirements of advanced manufacturing rather than adapted from conventional processes. 

GOTHAAM takes the next step toward production readiness for high-strength aluminum AM. Its target is a controlled material and process system supported by the data needed for critical aerospace and defense applications. 

Multiple qualified sources are part of production resilience 

A second aspect of GOTHAAM is just as important as the material data: supply continuity. Equispheres is one of multiple powder and material companies named to the project team, by intention. Developing multiple qualified sources against common requirements strengthens production resilience and continuity. 

For aerospace and defense programs, qualification creates a long-term relationship between material specification and production. If a material source cannot meet future volume, consistency, or delivery requirements, switching can trigger new testing and qualification work. Building multiple qualified sources from the outset helps reduce that risk. 

The same logic extends upstream. High-strength aluminum materials connect advanced manufacturing directly to critical-mineral supply. Powder qualification, raw-material sourcing, process control, and production capacity are all parts of the same supply-chain question. GOTHAAM brings those elements into one program, with organizations spanning aerospace OEMs, equipment, materials, processing, and upstream supply. 

Where Equispheres fits 

Equispheres operates in the materials technology layer of this production system. We develop and produce engineered metal powders and work with manufacturers to align material behavior with machine capability, process parameters, and end-use requirements. 

As a North American powder producer, we bring experience in controlled aluminum powder production, materials characterization, and process development. In GOTHAAM, we contribute material capability that can be qualified alongside the other elements required for production. 

That collaborative model is important. Aerospace Additive Manufacturing advances when material suppliers, machine builders, process experts, OEMs, and the upstream supply base work to the same production requirements. Qualification turns those individual capabilities into a manufacturing system. 

What success looks like for Project GOTHAAM 

GOTHAAM will help establish the technical and supply-chain foundation needed to move high-strength aluminum AM into a wider range of aerospace and defense production programs: 

• A high-strength scandium-aluminum material systems that meet defined performance and corrosion-resistance requirements 
• A documented qualification framework with material, process, production-control, and reuse specifications 
• Material allowables supported by statistically based testing 
• Demonstrated performance and qualification transfer across small-, medium-, and large-format L-PBF systems 
• Multiple material sources capable of supporting production continuity and supply-chain resilience 

For Equispheres, participation in GOTHAAM is part of a larger manufacturing shift. The industry is increasingly defining how materials, processes, equipment, data, and supply must work together to make parts reliably at production scale. 

We are proud to contribute to that work and to the broader effort to build advanced manufacturing capability and resilient North American supply for the aerospace and defense programs that depend on it. 

Learn more: Explore Equispheres’ powder portfolio or talk with our Applications Engineering team. 

Scalmalloy^® is a registered trademark of APWORKS GmbH.