Extending Advanced Manufacturing Post-processing Activities through Acquisition of an Additive Manufacturing System Suite
Abstract
Funds are requested for the acquisition of research equipment to support an ongoing research and pipeline development project in the area of additive manufacturing. The funds will be used for the purchase of a Fortus 400mc fused deposition modeling printer and a 3D systems ProX 200 metal printer and. The two printers are viewed as a well-integrated equipment set. The Fortus 400mc printer is a production quality machine that allows for printing of various thermoplastics including ABS and nylon. The ProX 200 metal printer is the intermediate size direct metal printer produced by 3D systems. It has very high accuracy and is capable of producing parts with layer resolution of 5 microns. The ongoing research work in the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Laboratory at Howard University requires both polymer and metal parts. However, no current additive manufacturing machine can produce both types of parts. The equipment will be used to support existing and future projects including those associated with the recently awarded consortium for Additive Manufacturing Post Processing Partnership AMP3, funded by the Department of Energy. AMP3 is a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) labs and facilities. The 4 HBCU member institutions (Howard University, Lincoln University, Morgan State, and the University of the District of Columbia) are partnered with Honeywell FM&T Kansas City Plant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12 National Security Complex. The principal goal of the consortium is to solidify a sustainable pipeline of under-represented students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees from Minority Serving Institutes to the NNSA National Labs and Plants. The equipment requested in this proposal will be leveraged to support the consortium research projects in materials characterization, process parameter optimization, and smart materials with embedded sensors with a particular, but not exclusive, focus on metals. Other ongoing research projects at Howard University that will benefit from the acquisition of the requested equipment include: i) dynamic response of polymers and metallic alloys fabricated via additive manufacturing, ii) material property characterization of 3D printed parts, and iii) achieving desired physical-chemical properties on 3D manufactured components by thin film deposition methods. Thus, the equipment is critical to the continued successful implementation of our currently funded research projects. The requested research equipment, when used along with existing facilities at Howard University, will have broader impacts on the research, education, and training capabilities of Howard University. Specifically, the ongoing research at Howard University, and in AMP3 more broadly, has an intentional focus on workforce development. As such, the research work must engage post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Thus, the research equipment will facilitate valuable and extensive training of graduate and undergraduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows with broad based knowledge and skills in the area of additive manufacturing so that well-qualified minority graduates can enter the workforce or continue to advance research in areas that are of interest to the Department of Defense. In addition to supporting research as a training vehicle, the equipment will be used to support coursework and extracurricular activities as part of a holistic approach to pipeline development.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2110209
Entities
People
- Grant Warner
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Howard University
- Office of the Secretary of Defense