The Challenge
Currently, trial and error consumes much of the time expended in the metal AM design and production process. This is inefficient, expensive, and often results in parts that vary in quality. Because AM techniques are new and are comprised of highly dependent, related technologies, manufacturers would benefit from scientifically integrated, cross-disciplinary technology and access to advanced research facilities to deliver:
- More reliable material behavior prediction
- Reduced parameter variation
- Faster synthesis
- Less material excess and waste
- Defect-free, certifiable parts
What Argonne Delivers
Argonne National Laboratory is helping those who rely on metal additive manufacturing improve part quality/reliability and process efficiency. As a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center, Argonne is uniquely positioned to provide an integrated approach to solving the materials challenges of metal AM. The lab’s capabilities include:
- Materials design and AM process modeling powered by the supercomputing capabilities of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility
- Very bright and high-resolution X-ray imaging and scattering for materials analysis at the Advanced Photon Source
- Materials synthesis, characterization, and modeling at the nanoscale at the Center for Nanoscale Materials
- Materials synthesis and process scale-up at the Materials Engineering Research Facility
The Benefits
By working with Argonne, industry partners can boost productivity and enhance their parts predictability and reliability through a deeper understanding of materials’ microstructure formation and growth.