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The University of Houston and Texas A&M University have joined forces to address a significant challenge hindering the widespread use of 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM), in various commercial applications. The challenge revolves around the need for real-time monitoring and analysis to ensure consistent quality and reproducibility throughout the production process.
Professor Venkat Selvamanickam, leading the project through the UH Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI), explained the objective of the collaboration: "The goal is to develop real-time, comprehensive, in-situ sub-surface and bulk structural analysis of AM parts during fabrication, and integration with multi-modal data from various in-situ sensors, that can bridge the critical knowledge gap between process conditions and properties."
To achieve this, a grant of $957,849 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will support the project. The preliminary study has already shown promising results, with sample-to-sample differences due to varying AM process conditions being identifiable through two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD).
The team plans to design, construct, and install a custom in-line 2D-XRD in the hybrid Directed Energy Deposition tool at the AMI facilities at the University of Houston. This tool offers a robust platform with features such as multi-material deposition and several in-situ sensors for process monitoring.
The AMI, established in 2018, serves as a central hub for scaling up and commercializing technologies developed by UH faculty. Its focus is on transitioning ideas to manufacturing and eventual market deployment. This project on additive manufacturing builds on AMI's successful track record in scaling up superconductor manufacturing technologies for industrial applications.
The research team includes associate professor Ying Lin and research professor Goran Majkic from UH, along with professor Ali Erdemir and associate professor Mathew Kuttolamadom from Texas A&M University. Erdemir will coordinate the program at Texas A&M.
While AM has already revolutionized the fabrication of metal structures for applications in aerospace, automotive, energy, medical, and other industries, its widespread use depends on meeting stringent quality and repeatability requirements.
Professor Selvamanickam believes that achieving the project's goals will have a significant impact: "Such an achievement will tremendously expand the use of metal additive manufacturing in many applications."
Overall, this collaboration between the University of Houston and Texas A&M University aims to overcome the deficiencies in 3D printing by enabling real-time monitoring and analysis, ultimately ensuring consistent quality and reproducibility in the production process.