Search Results for advanced manufacturing

The idea of building a part from scratch on a single machine or rebuilding components and assemblies in situ is a radical departure from conventional thinking based on subtractive manufacturing. This article discusses the benefits foreseen with additive or direct digital manufacturing and describes ongoing efforts to accelerate the development and realization of the technology.

Highlights from a member survey and panel discussion outlining the challenges and benefits of advanced manufacturing for the materials community. The article covers research being conducted in academia and industry to develop and integrate advanced manufacturing techniques; methods for in-process monitoring and machine learning; and challenges in adopting new digital manufacturing technologies.

This article presents highlights from a panel session held at International Materials, Applications & Technologies (IMAT) 2023. Experts from ASM affiliate societies shared insights on the impact of new materials and manufacturing technologies in their respective fields. The panel was moderated by David Furrer, Pratt & Whitney. The panelists were Thomas Ackerson, Blue Origin LLC (representing the Failure Analysis Society); Arvind Agarwal, College of Engineering and Computing, Florida International University (Thermal Spray Society); Marvin Barnes, NASA (Heat Treating Society); Jay Demarest, IBM (Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society); and Laura Moyer, Lehigh University (International Metallographic Society).

As powder-based additive manufacturing (AM) processes continue to mature, reliable powder characterization techniques will be key to optimizing both AM processes and final part performance. This article describes advanced metals for assessing powder properties and their influence on AM processing and part performance.

Concentrating solar-thermal power with thermal energy storage can provide renewable energy for electricity or industrial processes at any time of day. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made significant research investments to increase the operating temperature of solar-thermal systems, which increases overall efficiency, but materials science challenges remain to affordably manufacture and commercialize key components.

A new process called nanofunctionalization was successfully used to control the solidifying microstructure during additive manufacturing and produce crack-free 7000 and 6000 series aluminum alloys for the first time.

A new friction stir processing method, submerged bobbin tool tunneling, creates subsurface integral pathways in components that can be used as channels for wiring, gases, fluids, powders, or as a lightweighting technique.

Metal-matrix composite (MMC) materials are being developed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a diverse range of automotive applications from pistons and cylinder liners to exhaust manifolds and chassis sections. The ability to tailor not only the properties but also the functionality of MMCs gives automotive engineers a powerful new tool in dealing with increasingly strict fuel economy standards.

This article describes the design and operation of a high-deposition rate plasma nozzle developed for ambient pressure spraying.

Engineers at the Ford Motor Co. are using integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) tools, allowing them to accurately simulate the heat treatment of gears and predict phase transformation kinetics and distortion.

Significant advancements in metallurgy were highlighted at a special symposium presented at the Materials Science & Technology 2016 conference in Salt Lake City. This article summarizes the topics presented. All six speakers shared examples of the importance of understanding how the specific manufacturing process affects microstructure development in metals. The fundamental understanding of microstructure allows metallurgists to select manufacturing processes and schedules to tailor the microstructure, and therefore mechanical properties and performance, for a particular component.

This guide outlines recent advances in the various methods of laser technology and appropriate manufacturing applications. Each process has unique requirements and matching the laser source to the project is essential for developing a robust solution.

From graphene to next-generation composites to 3D printing, advanced materials and processes are helping sportswear manufacturers, sporting goods companies, and sports medicine practitioners take their game to the next level. This special report reviews some of the most innovative technologies making an impact on today’s sports and recreation industry. Technologies addressed include graphene used in sportswear, new production methods for carbon fiber composites, and 3D printed implants to address knee injuries.

Additive manufacturing (AM) continues to make significant technology advancements and attract widespread interest in industry, academia, and the general media. However, the technology is likely still a decade away from attaining meaningful implementation in industry and has yet to find adoption in large-scale or partcritical manufacturing operations, such as airframe structural component production. As a bridge technology that takes advantage of existing manufacturing methods while AM is being fully developed, near-net manufacturing is a promising alternative. Near-net fills the gap between classic subtractive manufacturing and AM, and it may be accurately described in terms of grain size.

Advances in additive manufacturing have enabled functional grading and multi-material deposition to produce “4D printed” parts that are net or near net shape; creating highly complex features that are difficult to produce with conventional manufacturing processes. This article addresses the fundamental challenge of how to ensure that the design, manufacturing, and functional intent for 4D printed parts can be accurately and unambiguously communicated across the design, manufacturing, inspection, and supply value chain. The use case of a generic mini-gripper sheds light on the benefits that a new standard could bring to the engineering and design of shape memory materials.

What needs to be discovered, learned, and understood to advance thermal spray beyond existing practices? Is revenue a realistic indicator of progress and advancement or is it just a framework for a much bigger picture? This article reviews some past successes, failures, and unrealized potentials of industrial and manufacturing outcomes and provides details of the knowns and unknowns of the thermal spray portfolio.

Metal 3D printing is expanding manufacturing possibilities by enabling new designs and improved outcomes. This article discusses some recent advances in processes and in metals suitable for additive manufacturing.

Groundbreaking additive manufacturing technology is gaining traction in technical ceramics. This article describes advances in additive manufacturing of technical ceramics, to enable broader use of AM and to enable new applications.

Capable of stopping 50-caliber, armor-piercing rounds, ALON and Spinel are hard and durable transparent polycrystalline materials manufactured using powder based processes. This article describes their unique combination of mechanical, optical, and chemical properties, and reports on recent advances in manufacturing to enable their use for critical defense, industrial, and consumer applications.

America Makes has mobilized the additive manufacturing community to work together to address the nation’s medical equipment shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.