The Curtiss-Wright Engineered Pump Division, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and Sintavia LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have collaborated to produce the first submarine component using qualified metal additive manufacturing (AM). Sintavia, a manufacturer of critical defense components, supplied an AM impeller that underwent rigorous qualification and testing at Curtiss-Wright’s facility. This partnership aims to expand the use of AM parts in naval defense applications.

Neodymium praseodymium oxide powder produced by MP Materials.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has played a significant role in advancing the extraction of rare earths in the U.S. Rare earths, especially neodymium and praseodymium, are essential for powerful permanent magnets used in a wide array of industries. The U.S. and allied nations are increasingly concerned about China's dominance in the rare earth market, which produces about 90% of processed rare earths. In response, the U.S., Australia, and Canada are investing heavily in their own production capabilities to secure a stable supply chain.

Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), the U.S. Department of Defense-supported national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), announced that it will introduce its new state-of-the-art Advanced Metallic Production and Processing Center (AMPP) in 2025 solving a critical gap in addressing advanced materials challenges across the U.S. industrial base.  

The Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA), Tokyo, Japan, awarded 8 prizes in the following categories: Development, New Design, Process Development, New Powders and Effort.

DEVELOPMENT PRIZE
Grand Prize
Development of Soft Magnetic Composite Cores with Double Pole Shoes to Enhance the Performance of Axial Flux Motors
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

This component is the stator core for an Axial Flux Motor (AFM) used in air cleaners. In response to the increasing emphasis on miniaturization, weight reduction, and high efficiency of motors in recent years, AFM that can achieve both thinness and high torque, is attracting attention and is expected to become widespread and replacing conventional radial flux motors made of Laminated Steel Sheets (LSS), which have the disadvantage of reducing torque when they are made thinner due to their motor structure. Compared to LSS, soft magnetic composite cores (SMC) are suitable for the three-dimensional magnetic circuit required for AFM due to their magnetic isotropic properties and high design flexibility in shape.

GKN Hoeganaes, Cinnaminson, New Jersey, has announced a strategic partnership with First Phosphate to establish a North American supply chain for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, essential for the electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage sectors. This collaboration follows the successful integration of First Phosphate’s magnetite into GKN Hoeganaes’ proprietary Ancorsteel melting process, resulting in a high-purity iron powder that serves as a precursor for LFP battery cathodes.

Creative and innovative Casio continues adding to its long list of “world-firsts.” It all began with the yubiwa (finger ring) pipe, developed at Kashio Seisakujo, the predecessor of Casio Computer Co., Ltd. That revolutionary ring hit the market in 1946, right after World War II, and was a big hit. The profits would later go toward the capital needed for development of a new kind of calculator. The same ring styling of the new Casio metal injection molding (MIM) ring watch is a nod to this very first product using original ideas and technologies to create new value.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) Office, in collaboration with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), is currently soliciting technical White Papers for a Request for Information (RFI) to explore the development and transition of metallic alloys and manufacturing processes that can enhance the capabilities of current and future defense platforms and weapon systems.

A 3D printer at ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility was used to print an unusual crack-free alloy for use in turbines that operate at extreme temperatures. 

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Energy Technology Laboratory have developed and 3D printed the lightest crack-free alloy capable of operating without melting at temperatures above 2,400 °F. This milestone could enable additively manufactured turbine blades to better handle extreme temperatures, reducing the carbon footprint of gas turbine engines such as those used in airplanes.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $445,000 grant to a research team to investigate the fatigue behavior of additive manufactured (AM) nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (SMAs), which can "remember" their original shape after deformation. The grant will fund the acquisition of equipment to assess the dynamic stiffness and longevity of materials under external forces.

The demand for large-scale components, weighing at least 10,000 lbs., has surged across sectors such as aerospace, defense, nuclear, oil, gas, renewables, and construction. However, traditional manufacturing techniques like casting and forging have declined in the U.S., leading to supply chain shortages as production increasingly shifts overseas. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers are initiating advanced manufacturing technologies to revitalize the production of these large metal parts via powder metallurgy-hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP).

The global PM industry was in full force as individuals from 27 countries visited the WORLD PM2024 Congress in Yokohama, Japan, to “Make a better world with PM.”  The biennial World Congress included presentations on the latest PM technologies, suppliers introducing cutting edge products and services, and networking events to welcome the international community.