NAMII, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, has awarded $4.5M of funding to seven research and development projects within the field of additive manufacturing. The seven projects include various metal and polymeric AM processes and materials, which are expected to influence several key markets in the near future.
NAMII directors seemed very pleased with the selected projects, as they had set out solid guidelines for highly innovative AM project ideas, featuring not only R&D, but also efficient use of digital data, high sustainability and aggressive education outreach and workforce training plans. NAMII’s large-scale goal is to spark the creation of new jobs in the US through the use of additive manufacturing. The seven chosen projects are closely aligned with NAMII’s goal based on four strongly help principles: technology development, technology transition, advanced manufacturing enterprise, and education/workforce outreach.
The project call was released in November of last year, and focused on three topic areas: materials understanding and performance; qualification and certification; and process capability and characterization/process control. Proposals submitted to NAMII had to address one or more of these technical areas, and all evaluation criteria. In other words, educational outreach and workforce development training plans had to be integrated into project proposals as well.
The seven selected projects represent a variety of metals and polymeric additive manufacturing processes and materials with near-term technical achievements impacting multiple key markets in the near future. Additionally, the projects represent great teaming by NAMII members with more than 30 different participating organizations, including eight universities and 25 industry partners both small and large.
The seven NAMII approved projects are:
- Maturation of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Component Manufacturing – Rapid Prototype + Manufacturing LLC (RP+M): Led by small business part producer, RP+M. This project will provide the community with a deeper understanding of the properties and opportunities of the high-temperature polymer, ULTEM 9085. Some of the key outcomes from this project include a design guide; critical materials and processing data; and machine, material, part and process certification.
- Qualification of Additive Manufacturing Processes and Procedures for Repurposing and Rejuvenation of Tooling – Led by Case Western Reserve University. This project will develop, evaluate and qualify methods for repairing and repurposing tools and dies. Die casting tools are very expensive, sometimes exceeding $1 million each and require long lead times to manufacture. The ability to repair and repurpose tools and dies can save energy and costs, and reduce lead time by extending tool life through use of the additive manufacturing techniques developed by this team.
- Sparse-Build Rapid Tooling by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) for Composite Manufacturing and Hydroforming – Led by Missouri University of Science and Technology.
- Fused Depositing Modelling (FDM) for Complex Composites Tooling – Led by Missouri University and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems: Two projects focusing on FDM address a key near-term opportunity for additive manufacturing: the ability to rapidly and cost-effectively produce tooling for composite manufacturing. Polymer composite tools often involve expensive, complex machined, metallic structures that can take months to manufacture. Recent developments with high-temperature polymeric tooling, such as the ULTEM 9085 material, show great promise for low-cost, energy-saving tooling options for the polymer composites industry. In addition, these projects will explore the use of sparse-build tools, minimizing material use for the needs of the composite process. Composites are high-strength materials that are used in a wide range of industries and can be used for light-weighting, a key strategy for reducing energy use.
- Maturation of High-Temperature Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Technologies and Infrastructure – Led by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. This project will develop a selective laser sintering (SLS) process for a lower-cost, high-temperature thermoplastic for making air and space vehicle components and other commercial applications. In addition, recyclability and reuse of materials will also be explored to maximize cost savings and promote sustainability.
- Thermal Imaging for Process Monitoring and Control of Additive Manufacturing – Led by Penn State University. This project will expand the use of thermal imaging for process monitoring and control of electron beam direct manufacturing (EBDM) and laser engineered net shaping (LENS) additive manufacturing processes. Improvements to the EBDM and LENS systems will enable 3D visualization of the measured global temperature field and real-time control of electron beam or laser power levels based on thermal image characteristics. These outcomes will enable the community to have greater confidence on part properties and quality using these technologies.
- Rapid Qualification Methods for Powder Bed Direct Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes – Led by Case Western Reserve University. This project will improve the industry’s ability to understand and control microstructure and mechanical properties across EOS Laser Sintering and Arcam Electron Beam Melting (EBM) powder bed processes. Process-based cost modeling with variable production volumes will also be delivered, providing the community with valuable cost estimates for new product lines. The outcomes from this project will deliver much needed information to qualify these production processes for use across many industries.
NAMII will officially announce its next project call at the RAPID 2013 Conference and Exposition on June 10th-13th.
