Weight is everything. Every gram counts on launch day. But, what about reducing weight on launch day by additive manufacturing what you need on the Moon with its resources, such as lunar regolith? The lunar regolith is made up of rock chips, mineral fragments, impact and volcanic glasses, and agglutinates found on the Moon.
MIT PhD student Alexander O’Brien is working to deliver the next generation of fusion devices through research on additive manufacturing of metal-ceramic composites. “After years of knowing I wanted to work in green energy, but not knowing what that looked like, I very quickly fell in love with nuclear engineering.”
A nanoscale lattice prepared using a new technique developed by the lab of Julia R. Greer.
Last year, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, California, researchers revealed that they had developed a new fabrication technique for printing microsized metal parts containing features about as thick as three or four sheets of paper. Now, the team has reinvented the technique to allow for printing objects a thousand times smaller: 150 nanometers. These parts can be three-to-five-times stronger than similarly sized structures with more orderly atomic arrangements.
University of California (UC), Berkeley, California, announced mechanical engineering faculty Grace Gu was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California, Early Career UC Faculty Initiative for her proposal, " Toward AI-Driven Additive Manufacturing for Metal-Ceramic Composite Structures."
A GRCop-42 heat exchanger
Due to its superior thermal conductivity, copper is one of the “hottest” metals for research and development in additive manufacturing. This is desirable in rockets and industrial applications such as electronics, where heat exchange is critical. Second only to silver among metals in its ability to conduct heat, copper is pound-for-pound significantly less expensive. Copper alloys provide enhanced mechanical properties along with that valuable conductivity.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Dept. of Defense Appropriations bill, which includes an amendment supported by U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) and Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) for $10 million for "Neighborhood 91," a comprehensive additive manufacturing (AM) production campus located near Pittsburgh International Airport.
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced the release of the latest addition to its family of G-SHOCK shock-resistant watches. The new dust- and mud-resistant MUDMASTER GWG-B1000 features exterior components in metal for a solid, powerful design, made by metal injection molding (MIM).
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a first-of-its-kind Critical Materials Collaborative (CMC) and announced its intent to fund up to $10 million to establish a Critical Materials Accelerator Program. The vision of the CMC is to integrate critical materials applied research, development and demonstration (RD&D) across DOE and the federal government, to accelerate the development of domestic critical material supply chains for the nation. The CMC will operationalize coordination and collaboration, while creating a value-add for RD&D performers by expanding their access to world-class expertise, capabilities, and facilities.
New Metal AM printer at Missouri S&T (Photo courtesy of Bradley Deuser, Missouri S&T.)
With the recent purchase of a large-format metal additive manufacturing (AM) printer, the Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri, took an important step toward helping Missouri manufacturers use technology to sharpen their competitive edge. The purchase was based on input from manufacturers, who reported acquiring traditionally manufactured parts had become increasingly difficult due to irregularities in the supply chain.
Kennametal Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been named a winner of the R&D 100 Award for its innovative additive manufactured (AM) machining tool for large engine and transmission housings in transportation, including electric vehicles, made with its new technology.
These parts and build plate are fresh out of a Velo3D Sapphire XC AM system. The components of the Reaper Turbopump fit on one 600 mm build plate of the XC system with room to spare. Such large format printers improve the manufacturing time and economics of 3D metal printing. Image courtesy of Velo3D
The aerospace industry continues to push metal additive manufacturing (AM) to convert innovative, physics-based designs into higher-performing components that are more dependable, affordable, scalable, and producible using the agile manufacturing technique. AM is not only in demand in the aircraft industry – it is a necessity. Two undergraduate students from Colorado University (CU) Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences program have worked with industry experts to develop a cost-effective and reliable rocket turbopump concept.