Sigma Labs, Inc. (SGLB) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, B6 Sigma, Inc., was among the winners to be awarded a $5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII) was designated as the project lead, and Edison Welding Institute will lead collaborative efforts to develop in-process sensing and monitoring capabilities so that tolerances and other quality requirements are consistently achieved.
Mark Cola, President and Chief Executive Office of Sigma Labs, said that “We are pleased to be a part of this ground-breaking effort that will advance the state-of-the-art in additive manufacturing quality inspection technology, especially for critical metal parts. We were invited to join the effort because of our sophisticated sensor and in-process quality assurance technology, which further validates our engineering expertise and product offerings in the area of advanced manufacturing quality assurance for the additive manufacturing industry.”
The onus of the team’s research will be on providing tools needed for additive manufacturing applications to progress from prototype to market-ready. This announcement follows Sigma Labs, Inc.’s declaration on the 13th September that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Morris Technologies, Inc., a world leader in the field of AM / 3DP, with intent to explore the formation of a joint venture to commercialize Sigma Labs’ PrintRite3D™ technology.
Morris Technologies has pioneered the manufacture of critical metal parts from CAD utilizing direct metal laser sintering since 1994. Currently the 3D Printing industry primarily manufactures plastic parts, but the demand for precision metal parts is now increasing at a rate greater than that of plastics, indicating a probablistic likelihood, with various elements of risk, that this funding will catalyse a successful initiative.
Sigma Labs, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary B6 Sigma, Inc., develops and engineers non-destructive quality inspection systems for commercial firms worldwide seeking productive solutions for 3D metal printing and other advanced manufacturing technologies. Sigma Labs other wholly-owned subsidiary, Sumner & Lawrence Limited, provides high-level scientific consultants to Federal government clients seeking productive solutions for emerging and strategic development technologies.
