Researchers at the U.S.-based Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) have received $1.6 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to advance the production and qualification of 3D printed metal parts.
The funding is part of DARPA’s larger Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance (SURGE) program, which awarded up to $6.2 million to the team’s One Part And Life (OPAL) project. Guha Manogharan, associate professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of CIMP-3D, will lead the research through a subcontract with Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, using his expertise and the equipment at CIMP-3D to explore new methods for part qualification.
Improving Metal Part Qualification and Fatigue Prediction
While metal AM is increasingly used, traditional methods for qualifying printed parts are slow and expensive, often requiring machine-by-machine validation. Current certification processes can take years, limiting the widespread adoption of metal AM for large-scale production. The SURGE program seeks to address this challenge by developing a method to assess the fatigue performance of 3D printed parts during printing. According to Manogharan, this approach enables rapid, part-specific evaluation and could accelerate broader use of metal AM for functional applications.
“We are aiming to significantly improve both the prediction accuracy and reduce computing time for estimating service life of metal parts printed with additive manufacturing,” Manogharan said. “If a manufacturer prints a metal part for rapid deployment, we want to predict how long the part will be useful given the conditions of its application. We will be able to accurately predict the defects in the part that impact the fatigue life of a part, or the part life until it needs to be replaced.”
He added that the funding will help strengthen the U.S. metal AM supply chain and speed up large-scale adoption. “Our lab has been leading several efforts in both direct and indirect metal AM for a decade now,” Manogharan said. “This technology could revolutionize the production process for metal parts in defense, aerospace and a variety of other engineering applications, making it faster and more efficient than ever before.”
DARPA Recent Fundings
In June, U.S.-based Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) received a $6.3 million grant from DARPA to develop a machine learning-driven process for on-site additive manufacturing using scrap metal. The project, called “Rubble to Rockets,” aims to predict and analyze how mixed materials behave before being melted, combined, and 3D printed into functional parts. The technology is designed to produce essential components in environments where traditional supply chains are unavailable, such as remote rescue sites or conflict zones.
Elsewhere, Texas A&M University, a public research institution, secured $1.6 million from DARPA to create a system that speeds up the evaluation of quality and durability in 3D printed parts. Under DARPA’s SURGE program, researchers are tasked with reducing assessment times from 18 months to just three days, using a process that can run on a standard laptop. The initiative aims to expand the adoption of AM within the Department of Defense and could save millions in production and certification costs.
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Featured photo shows Guha Manogharan, the principal investigator of a DARPA-funded project. Photo via Penn State.
