VIDEO: Additive manufacturing: 3D printing beyond plastic
July 30, 2015
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At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VT), Christopher Williams heads the effort to further advance 3D printing—known among engineers as additive manufacturing—with copper, a widely used conductor in electronics. Williams is using a process called binder jetting in which an inkjet printer selectively jets glue into a bed of copper powder, layer-by-layer. The printed copper product is then taken to a furnace to fuse the particles together.
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Williams is addressing a major challenge in the 3D copper printing process, which is to eliminate the porosity that develops in the part during the process. These microscopic pockets of air weaken the finished product. Williams's goal is to create an additive manufacturing process for copper that would be practical for widespread use. If successful, the results gleaned from this project can also be used to educate future engineers in designing systems with 3D printing.
Beyond the already functioning "3-D printing vending machine" available to students at VT, researchers hope to integrate their findings into an undergraduate/graduate additive manufacturing course, as well as summer workshops for K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers. These proposed programs will not only instruct students through inquiry-based learning methods but also study how teacher/student perceptions of manufacturing evolve. The research is this episode was supported by NSF award #1254287, Additive Manufacture of Copper Cellular Materials, made through NSF's CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) program.
NIST hosts first app challenge to improve data access
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Researchers looking for information on the properties of methane at high temperatures or the isotopic composition of an element know they can rely on standard reference data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md. But what they really need is an app (or apps) to make the data more accessible.
As a step in that direction, NIST is launching its first app challenge. Prizes totaling $45,000 can go to developers who create applications that offer new ways to access and use data from one or more of six eligible scientific data collections maintained by NIST.
NIST maintains some of the world's most accurate and comprehensive datasets of physical, material, chemical, and biological data covering a broad range of substances and properties. These datasets are invaluable research tools for physicists, biochemical engineers, environmental researchers, students, and many others. The app challenge is meant to boost awareness of these resources and modernize their use. To support the challenge, NIST has made six of its datasets available in machine-readable format. The contest is open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18.
Challenge participants must make the app available for testing at no cost to NIST, and it must be accompanied by a brief text submission, at least one screenshot of the app, and a brief (less than five minute) video describing the functionality of the app. Entries are due by Sept. 28.
NIST experts will vet technical aspects of the apps and a group of judges will evaluate submissions to identify the best. The criteria for judging will be the app's potential impact, its creativity and innovation, how well it is implemented, and the integration of one or more SRD or other data into the app.
The six eligible NIST Standard Reference Datasets to be used in the challenge are:
CODATA Fundamental Physical Constants (NIST SRD 121) — provides the most accurate internationally recommended values of the fundamental physical constants that are essential to basic theories of physics and our quantitative understanding of the physical universe.
Ground Levels and Ionization Energies for the Neutral Atoms (NIST SRD 111) — primarily used by chemists and astronomers to calculate thermodynamic properties of atoms in chemical reactions and other kinetic processes, and by atomic physicists to benchmark experimental data for advanced atomic theories.
Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions (NIST SRD 144) — provides atomic weights for elements 1 through 118 and is used by scientists in detecting radioactive isotopes, dating of paintings and sculptures, determining the origins of meteor samples and more.
NIST Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database (CCCBDB, NIST SRD 101) — provides thermochemical data for a selected set of more than 1000 gas-phase atoms and molecules. It is used by chemists to compare experimental results with computational ideal-gas properties.
NIST-JANAF Thermochemical Tables (NIST SRD 13) — originally used by the aerospace industry to understand rocket propellant combustion, these thermochemical data for a range of chemical substances are used world-wide in a range of chemistry, environmental and materials applications. Industry scientists use these tables to predict thermodynamic information about chemical substances, including equilibrium mixtures and heat release.
NIST ITS-90 Thermocouple Database (NIST SRD 60) — provides temperature calibration data for converting a measured voltage to temperature, and is the basis for calibration of thermometers, instrument controllers and other devices that rely on temperature for process control. These types of devices are found in virtually every technology including kitchen ovens, hot water heaters, residential and commercial furnaces, power plants, and more.
The Reference Data Challenge follows NIST's first participation in the National Day of Civic Hacking, held June 6 in which NIST invited coders from across the U.S. to play with a subset of its Standard Reference Data. The challenge also complements NIST's ongoing efforts to ensure its data and research results are publicly accessible. On July 8, 2015, NIST released a new data access plan and is asking the public for feedback to help guide its policies and procedures.
Researchers looking for information on the properties of methane at high temperatures or the isotopic composition of an element know they can rely on standard reference data from NIST.
LIFT project focuses on iron alloys in thin-wall castings
July 10, 2015
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Casting parts from molten iron is a well-established process that has been transformed recently by technological advances. LIFT, Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, has chosen to investigate those innovations in melt processing as its first technology acceleration project. Grede Holdings, Southfield, Mi., and Michigan Technological University, Houghton, are the lead industry and research partners on the project, which will focus on reducing the amount of metal used in making an automotive transmission differential case.
"People don't often think of iron alloys as lightweight, so this first project shows how we are really changing the thinking about manufacturing in America," says Larry Brown, executive director of LIFT. "We expect that by working together through LIFT, collaborators will be able to accelerate the speed of turning their R&D into a production line process."
By integrating and implementing improved manufacturing methods with different available alloys, there is potential to decrease the wall thicknesses of ductile iron cast parts by up to 50%. That, in turn could save from 30-50% weight savings, depending on the load requirements of the part.
Jay Solomond, vice president of engineering and technology at Grede notes, "During early product development, parts are designed to meet the limiting performance criteria. This often results in parts being globally designed with extra material to meet the minimum requirements. However, this also often results in unnecessary weight to the overall part. We want to put the right amount of material just where it needs to be—and to replicate that on a scale for automotive production lines." Grede expects to do a significant amount of work on the project in its St. Cloud, Minn., foundry.
Associate professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Michigan Tech, Paul Sanders, says, "Iron alloys have high stiffness and good strength. We will optimize composition and cooling rate using Grede's new high precision molding machines to create thin-wall ductile iron components while maintaining desired microstructures and performance. We look forward to integrating upfront modeling with local cast properties to design optimized component geometries. We hope to bring this lightweight design methodology into production."
LIFT is one of six manufacturing innovation institutes announced to date and supported by the federal government. LIFT receives its funding from the U.S. Department of Defense administered by the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research. Approximately 44% of the estimated $1.34 million costs for this melt processing technology acceleration project will be paid for by the federal government, the other 56% will be shared by industry and research partners.
"We expect to be seeing results from this first project in about a year. And with nearly 90 industry and academic partners in our consortium, we expect to be announcing more technology projects on a regular schedule, as well as important education and workforce development initiatives to make sure we have people well trained in the innovations we are generating," says Brown.
Collaboration to develop carbon fiber for automotive light-weighting
June 11, 2015
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The Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., and DowAksa, Turkey signed a joint development agreement to formally advance research on cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of automotive-grade carbon fiber—a material poised to play a significant role in the drive to make vehicles lighter for greater fuel efficiency, performance and capability.
The agreement will combine DowAksa's feedstock capacity, carbon fiber conversion and downstream intermediates production capabilities with Ford's expertise in design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing. The goal is to produce materials that make cost-effective carbon fiber composite parts that are much lighter than steel but meet automotive strength requirements.
"This joint development agreement reinforces Ford's commitment to our partnership with DowAksa, and our drive to bring carbon fiber components to the broader market," says Mike Whitens, director, Vehicle Enterprise Sciences, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering. "The goal of our work here fits within the company's Blueprint for Sustainability, where future Ford vehicles will be lighter with optimized performance that would help consumers further improve fuel economy and reduce emissions."
"Today's agreement marks another milestone in the partnership to develop lightweighting solutions for the automotive industry," says DowAksa Chairman Heinz Haller. "Ford and DowAksa's collaboration will accelerate delivery of advanced materials and technologies to meet and exceed expectations for high performance and fuel economy."
"Automotive manufacturers' use of carbon fiber composites has been hindered by the absence of both high-volume manufacturing methods and affordable material formats," said DowAska Vice Chairman Mehmet Ali Berkman. "This partnership combines the individual strengths of each company to target these challenges."
The JDA allows the companies to collaboratively generate new, lower-cost automotive grades of carbon fiber that can be applied to aligned and random fiber formats while maintaining compatibility with both thermoset and thermoplastic matrices. The agreement also includes a pathway for potential extension of development collaboration into a commercial manufacturing partnership.
"DowAksa is committed to bringing the benefits of carbon fiber to the industrial marketplace," Berkman added. "By entering into this agreement, DowAksa is taking a serious approach to providing environmentally sustainable solutions, the goal being the manufacture of much lighter vehicles with optimized performance and cost, which will ensure reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emissions."
As announced in January, the companies will be part of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), announced by President Obama as part of the larger National Network for Manufacturing Innovation supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The JDA will facilitate the companies' efforts in conjunction with IACMI to overcome the high cost and limited availability of carbon fiber in automotive applications.
The Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., and DowAksa, Turkey signed a joint development agreement to formally advance research on cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of automotive-grade carbon fiber.
NASA and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, known as America Makes, are holding a new $2.25 million competition to design and build a 3D printed habitat for deep space exploration, including the agency's journey to Mars.
The multi-phase 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge, part of NASA's Centennial Challenges program, is designed to advance the additive construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.
The first phase of the competition runs through Sept. 27. This phase, a design competition, calls on participants to develop state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3D printing offers. The top 30 submissions will be judged and a prize purse of $50,000 will be awarded at the 2015 World Maker Faire in New York.
The second phase of the competition is divided into two levels. The Structural Member Competition (Level 1) focuses on the fabrication technologies needed to manufacture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. The On-Site Habitat Competition (Level 2) challenges competitors to fabricate full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables. Both levels open for registration Sept. 26, and each carries a $1.1 million prize.
NASA and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, known as America Makes, are holding a new $2.25 million competition to design and build a 3D printed habitat for deep space exploration.
Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Spain, visualized step-by-step and on a microscopic level how certain steels fracture when extreme loads are applied to them. This could help to improve these materials, used in the automobile industry.
Scientists from the UC3M Powder Technology Group (initialled GTP in Spanish) have carried out this research using a scanning electron microscope to obtain high-resolution images (around 10 nanometers; a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter). The application of new techniques to characterize materials has made it possible to better understand the behavior of sintered steels (those produced from powders) on fracturing. In this way, they have been able to discover where the first cracks "‘nucleate' and where they particularly extend to," explain researchers.
The materials that are the subject of the research are commercial sintered steels obtained through powder metallurgy or powder technology and are widely used in the automobile industry. Mechanical and on-site characterization tests performed in the scanning electron microscope have been essential in "understanding the mechanisms of fracture," which, until this research, "we have never been able to determine, but instead only intuit," explains one of the authors, Elena Bernardo.
In this study several steels currently on the market were evaluated. Specifically, an Fe-C steel, a steel pre-alloyed with molybdenum (Astaloy Mo grade, Höganäs AB) and the well-known Distaloy AE (Höganäs AB), which is iron alloyed by diffusion with copper, nickel and molybdenum, were analyzed.
This study makes changes in the microstructure of the material visible while it is being tested, says Torralba. Moreover, the methodology used "is applicable to any type of alloy" and not only to test its behavior under pressure, but "also its behavior at high temperatures." Some of the research was carried out at the UC3M facilities and was completed at IMDEA Materials, a research institute financed by the regional government of Madrid and the European Union.
Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Spain, visualized step-by-step and on a microscopic level how certain steels fracture when extreme loads are applied to them.
Battelle elects ASM Fellow Subra Suresh to its Board of Directors
September 3, 2014
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Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, announces the election of Carnegie Mellon University President Subra Suresh to its Board of Directors. A Fellow of ASM International, Dr. Suresh holds the distinction of being the only sitting university president to have been elected to all three national academies—the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. He also is the former director of the National Science Foundation.
"Battelle has a distinguished history of scientific innovation and a legacy of contributing to the betterment of society," Dr. Suresh said. "I'm honored to have the opportunity to help guide its future success as a member of its Board of Directors. The company has broad reach, with numerous technologies under development that will help solve some of the world's most difficult challenges."
Prior to joining the NSF, Dr. Suresh was the dean of the School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A materials scientist, he is the co-author of more than 240 journal articles, registered 21 patents and written three widely used materials science books.
"We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Suresh to our Board of Directors," said Battelle President and CEO Jeff Wadsworth, also a Fellow of ASM International. "Battelle will surely benefit from the experience he brings from the National Science Foundation, his perspective as a university president, and his stature as a scientist."
Fort Wayne Metals develops high-strength CP Grade 4 titanium medical implant wire
February 19, 2014
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Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, Ind., introduces 4TiTude, the first medical implant wire to combine the benefits of pure titanium with the strength of Ti-6Al-4V ELI. Minimum tensile strength is 1172 MPa (170 ksi) in diameters up to 4 mm, and 1103 MPa (160 ksi) in diameters from 4 to 6 mm. This compares with 950 MPa or 138 ksi typical of cold worked CP Grade 4 titanium.
"Until now, implant designers working with titanium had to decide what was more important for their device: the strength of alloyed titanium or beneficial properties of commercially pure materials," explains Ric Snyder, Product Manager for orthopaedic and dental implant applications. "With 4TiTude, Fort Wayne Metals gives implant designers the best of both worlds. It's one material with no compromises."
4TiTude meets all requirements of ASTM F67 – it is commercially pure and will not release toxic aluminum or vanadium ions as Ti 6Al-4V ELI may. It is also expected to promote osseointegration and accept osseointegrative coatings such as hydroxyapatite or calcium phosphate. And it shows fatigue resistance equivalent to cold worked CP Grade 4 titanium.
"This will certainly help our customers push the boundaries of implant design – for example by developing smaller dental implants with thinner walls and creating less invasive solutions for patients with narrow bone ridges and limited space between teeth," says Mr. Snyder.
Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, Ind., introduces 4TiTude, the first medical implant wire to combine the benefits of pure titanium with the strength of Ti-6Al-4V ELI.
