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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

A machining digital twin for hybrid manufacturing

Hybrid manufacturing consisting of metal additively manufactured preforms and computer numerical control (CNC) machining has been established to be an effective method for high material use rates. However, hybrid manufacturing introduces unique challenges. Near-net shape designs are typically selected, which result in a smaller margin for part placement within the stock and stringent requirements for work coordinate system identification. Additionally, less stock material reduces the preform stiffness, which limits the material removal rates during machining. This paper demonstrates a digital twin for CNC machining of a wire arc additively manufactured preform that implements: 1) structured light scanning for stock model identification and tool path generation; 2) a fused filament fabrication apparatus to attach temporary fiducials and scan targets to the preform that enable coordinate system definition for both the CAM and CNC machine; 3) preform and tool tip frequency response function measurements to enable stable milling parameter selection; and 4) post-manufacturing measurements of geometry, surface finish, and structural dynamics to confirm designer intent. These efforts define key components of the machining digital twin for hybrid manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Denoising diffusion probabilistic models for generative alloy design

Inverse material design is an extremely challenging optimization task made difficult by, in part, the highly nonlinear relationship linking performance with composition. Quantitative approaches have improved significantly owing to advances in high throughput experimentation and computational thermodynamics. However, existing physics-based tools are mostly forward models; input a chemistry and obtain a prediction. More recently the materials community has leveraged advances in the machine learning community to establish novel inverse design frameworks. Very recently denoising diffusion probabilistic models have been shown to be extremely powerful generators producing synthetic data of various modalities e.g. images, text, audio, tables, etc.. In this work a novel framework for alloy design and optimization is proposed leveraging these class of models. Five key generative tasks are demonstrated (1) unconditional generation (2) composition conditioned generation (3) property conditioned generation (4) multi-feedstock conditioned generation and (5) generative optimization. These methods were tested on three case studies: high entropy alloy design, superalloy binder jet additive manufacturing, and in-situ dual-feedstock wire-arc additive manufacturing. Results indicate that the established models are extremely flexible, expressive, and robust. The architecture’s flexibility and training procedure empower the model to learn complex intra-compositional and composition-property relationships. Furthermore, the probabilistic nature of these models makes them well suited for addressing solution non-uniqueness and tackling uncertainty quantification tasks. While the fidelity and quantity of the underlying training data is paramount, we envision that future alloy design frameworks will make extensive use of these kinds of machine learning models as “search” tools bolstering the utility of experimental and computational approaches.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Limited-constraint WAAM fixture for hybrid manufacturing

This paper describes a limited-constraint alternative to the traditional over-constrained build plate clamping in metal additive manufacturing. A fixture design is presented that enables build plate thermal growth within its plane while restricting deformation perpendicular to that plane. A prototype fixture is designed, fabricated, and tested for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Experimental results are presented for depositing 1.2 mm diameter 5356 aluminum wire on a 5052 aluminum build plate. The build plate deformation is measured for various clamping torques and a 77.3% reduction in distortion is achieved using the limited-constraint approach with identical WAAM parameters.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND REGULATORY TESTING OF CANISTERS FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL MANAGEMENT

The back end of the fuel cycle focuses on the interim storage, transportation, and final disposition of the spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. Commercial light water nuclear power stations across the United States operate with fuel assemblies being irradiated for up to 6 years (planned) in the reactor pressure vessel. After their planned irradiation, the fuel assemblies are moved to a spent fuel pool within the facility complex. After the spent nuclear fuel is removed from the fuel pool, it is typically inserted into a welded metal canister that can be transferred between overpacks for storage, transportation and possibly disposal. Most dry storage systems being used by industry today use dual purpose canisters (DPCs), designed for use in storage and transportation overpacks, but not specifically designed for disposal. Triple purpose-canisters, designed for disposal in addition to storage and transportation, have also been researched. Traditional manufacturing methods for spent fuel canisters involve fusion welding along the length or circumference of the canister which results in high tensile residual stresses in the joint weld zone (WZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ). In this paper, spent fuel canister designs were printed by wire arc additive manufacturing (AM) using the 316L SS welding wire to demonstrate: 1. Feasibility of spent nuclear fuel canister fabrication using this advanced manufacturing method, 2. Dynamic response of the additive manufacture canister design when subjected to the federally mandated Normal Conditions of Transport (NCT) and Hypothetical Accident Conditions (HAC) physical tests for Type B packages. This paper will focus on the canister printing design and structural tests. The AM 3D printed design, regulatory testing, and post-test evaluation of the canister tested to the 10 CFR 71.71 and 10 CFR 71.73 requirements will be presented. One AM canister design was subjected to the penetration, free drop, and puncture test. Before and after the dynamic structural tests, the AM canister design was scanned with a handheld scanner to capture a 3D CAD geometry to compare to the 3D printed canister design in the deformed shape. The scanned geometry was sectioned in areas with deformation and the cross-section profile was measured to determine accurate and repeated results of the deformed shape of the AM canister design.

Martinez, Oscar↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental Fabrication of Porous Additive Manufactured Material

Nuclear industries can benefit from materials that can perform well mechanically and thermally in high temperature and corrosion environments. Functionally graded materials (FGM) are materials manufactured with complex spatial, structural, and chemical compositions, creating components predesigned with tailored microstructural and mechanical properties. Porosity-graded FGMs are designed to introduce pores into a component’s structure as a mechanism to increase bulk or surface material performance, such as stress accommodation and negative thermal conductivity. Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as laser energy net shape (LENS) and wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), excel in high energy density, point-to-point metal deposition, and present in combination with other combinatorial approaches, exciting methods to manufacture porous FGM components. This project is also examining plasma jet printing as another means for method evaluations for smaller scale graded components. This study explores AM FGM process parameters and combinatorial fabrication methodologies for stainless steel components functionally graded in porosity levels. Preliminary characterization results are provided to attest the feasibility of the combinational fabrication techniques.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Discrete Dendrite Dynamics Model for Epitaxial Columnar Grain Growth in Metal Additive Manufacturing with Application to Inconel

Epitaxial columnar grain growth is a prevalent microstructural feature in the additive manufacturing (AM) of metal components such as Inconel, with cubic unit cell crystal lattice structure (face centered cubic (FCC) or body centered cubic (BCC)). These columnar grains evolve from the partly molten grains in the substrate or the solidified metal. This work proposes an efficient model to simulate the competitive growth of epitaxial columnar dendritic grains. The proposed model tracks the dynamic changes in the dendrites emanating from discrete points along the solid/liquid interface of a quasi-steady melt pool (MP). These dynamic changes include convergence and divergence of growing dendrites. The model is extended to predict the microstructure of large 3D parts and experimentally validated by comparing the simulation results for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) and wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) processes. The microstructure and pole figures are predicted for Inconel 718 samples produced by L-PBF and Inconel 740H samples produced by WAAM processes. Finally, the model predictions compare well with the observed microstructure and pole figures results for both the L-PBF and WAAM processes.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparative Study of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 In the As-Built and Heat-Treated Condition

This study was conducted to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 manufactured with laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), electron beam melting (EBM), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), electron beam directed energy deposition (EB-DED), laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED), and laser wire directed energy deposition (LW-DED) in both the as built and heat-treated condition. The heat treatment in this study included stress relieving, hot isostatic pressure (HIP), and solution treatment. The effects of the heat treatment on the grain widths and hardness of the alloy will be observed across the technologies before and after heat-treatment. At the end of this study there will be a comparative analysis of the alloy Inconel 625 across the six technologies.

V Luna↗
DOE OSTI2023

ON PROCESS STABILITY IN WAAM-CMT OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS

Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has become a cost-efficient metal additive manufacturing process. However, depositing aluminum with WAAM is challenging due to its sensitivity to heat input (linear energy density), which can cause undesirable surface topology waviness if not controlled. Thus, a process window is needed that can produce stable geometry and deposition conditions while minimizing production times. In this study, 5183 aluminum alloy wire is used to deposit 10-layer walls with varying wire feed speeds (WFS) and traverse speeds (TS) (at a constant WFS/TS ratio) and varying interpass temperature (IPT). In-situ process data consisting of optical contact-tip-workpiece-distance (CTWD) and current/voltage measurements are collected to determine process condition stability throughout the build. Part geometry is measured using a 3D scanner and build porosity is characterized via digital X-ray. A process window is identified that produces stable surface topology and process conditions at a minimal production time.

aluminum alloy↗
DOE OSTI2025

CALPHAD-based ICME design of single-step aging to enhance mechanical strength of WAAM Haynes 282

To match the strength of wire-arc additive manufactured Haynes 282 to its wrought counterpart via a single-step aging heat treatment, the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method is integrated with physics-based process-structure-property models and experimental validation. The integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) framework simulates the effects of aging on γ′ and M 23 C 6 precipitation and the resulting yield strength. To improve simulation reliability, the interfacial energies between γ/γ′ and γ/M 23 C 6 carbides were estimated by comparison with precipitation kinetic modeling and measured precipitate sizes. γ′ and M23C6 were found to precipitate simultaneously between 640 and 860 °C, producing microstructures similar to those produced by two-step aging. The optimal γ′ size for peak yield stress was calculated to be 20–23 nm. WAAM Haynes 282 aged at 780 °C for 50 h exceeded the mechanical performance of its wrought counterpart subjected to two-step aging, though desired properties can also be achieved at 800 °C for 16 h or less. The error in yield strength is less than 20 MPa, demonstrating good agreement between the modeling framework and experiments. Creep studies showed that WAAM Haynes 282 exceeded the calculated rupture time, reaching 481 h. This proposed methodology can accelerate the design of aging heat treatments for any γ′-strengthened nickel-base alloy, minimizing the resources required for trial-and-error experiments.

CALPHAD↗
NASA NTRS2024

Evaluation of an Al-Cu-Zn-Mg Alloy for Wire-Fed Additive Manufacturing

A collaborative research study was conducted to evaluate an experimental Al-Cu-Zn-Mg alloy, designated Al C380H, developed by Arconic Corporation for wire-fed additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as NASA’s electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF 3 ) process and the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The goal of the study was to determine, based upon metallurgical properties, whether additively manufactured Al C380H represented a viable alternative for applications currently using wrought 7xxx series aluminum. Al 2319 and Al 7075 were also deposited as AM-compatible and non-AM-compatible baselines, respectively. Evaluation was based on tensile, fracture, and corrosion properties. The strength and ductility of Al C380H-T6 materials produced by EBF3 and WAAM were sufficiently lower than typical values for Al 7050-T7 to indicate that additively manufactured Al C380H is not a viable replacement for current parts fabricated with Al 7050, due largely to the significant losses in Zn and Mg and development of porosity during deposition. EBF 3 parameters that reduced porosity, such as increasing electron beam current, higher raster frequency, sharper beam focus, and slower travel speed, augmented de-alloying of fugitive solute. Further enhancement of Zn and Mg content in Al C380H feedstock wire combined with adjustments to deposition conditions to minimize porosity may enable production of Al C380H parts by EBF 3 or WAAM that are viable replacements for current Al 7050 wrought products.

electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Vision-based localization for cooperative robot-CNC hybrid manufacturing

Wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has shown promise in recent years for producing large-scale parts with higher deposition rates than other additive processes. WAAM is often combined with subtractive machining to form a hybrid manufacturing process. This hybrid process can be realized by retrofitting computer numerical control (CNC) machines with deposition heads, adding spindles and deposition heads to robots, or developing part localization methods to transfer parts from an additive cell to a CNC machine. Here, a novel, robot-CNC hybrid configuration is introduced where a maneuverable robot is placed in front of a CNC machine to deposit material within the machine envelop. Furthermore, this method removes the need for part localization and the extensive machine modifications required for retrofitting; however, the problem of robot localization is also added. In this work, the effects of error in vision-based, contactless robot localization on machining parameters in a robot-machine hybrid process were studied. Performance was characterized on an implementation of this system using classical computer vision techniques. In addition, machining simulations were conducted to evaluate the effects of image-induced error on chip thickness, material removal rate, and machining allowance. Initial tests show that computer vision could adequately locate a robot for the hybrid WAAM process within .5 mm.

Hybrid manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2026

Process-level cost analysis of hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace structural components

Hybrid manufacturing is a promising route for producing complex aerospace components, yet systematic cost benchmarking across multiple additive-subtractive pathways remains limited. This study presents a comprehensive process-based cost analysis of seven hybrid manufacturing routes, including laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), powder- and wire-directed energy deposition (DED), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), metal binder jetting (MBJ), and agility forging, followed by scanning and finish machining. Parametric cost models incorporating direct material, labor, and energy costs were developed. L-PBF results are discussed in detail for a pickle fork component and directly compared with commercial pricing. Across all hybrid routes, labor emerged as the dominant cost driver, contributing more than 70% of total manufacturing cost in some cases. AFSD exhibited the lowest cost for aluminum components, with MBJ being its 316 L stainless steel counterpart, after accounting for geometric scaling. Benchmarking against industrial quotes suggests that hybrid manufacturing can achieve cost levels comparable to those of commercial services, although labor-intensive processes exhibit greater deviation. The analysis highlights automation of material handling, setup, and supervision as key opportunities for improving economic competitiveness. Overall, the proposed framework provides a quantitative basis for evaluating and optimizing hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace applications.

Baruah, Sweta [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000174256207)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Machine tool cross beam design, fabrication, and testing using metal big area additive manufacturing

This paper describes the application of metal Big Area Additive Manufacturing (mBAAM) to the fabrication of a machine tool cross beam. The replacement of a traditional box design weldment with a new design printed by wire arc additive manufacturing using the MedUSA system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is detailed. This requires a new design strategy based on the unique mBAAM capabilities. The intent of the new design is to reduce mass, while maintaining the dynamic stiffness. To compare the two designs, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are measured using impact testing and predicted using finite element analysis. It is confirmed that the printed structure dynamics agreed with the numerical model predictions, which demonstrates that it is feasible to model a large-scale mBAAM part and understand its behavior prior to printing. Another notable outcome of this study is that the significant residual stress and distortion in the print indicate that knowledge gaps remain for widespread implementation of mBAAM.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel Wire Feedstock Development for Larger Format Additive Manufacturing (CRADA Final Report)

This CRADA project funded through DOE’s INFUSE program sought to demonstrate the viability of fabricating large, complex parts from oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel with advanced manufacturing. Exhibiting excellent radiation tolerance and high mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, ODS steel is a promising structural material candidate for near-plasma components in fusion energy systems. Its use, however, has been limited by a lack of manufacturability. This project sought to produce ODS steel wire through a solid-state shear assisted extrusion process and then demonstrate that the wire can undergo controlled local melting while being welded with the final part sufficiently retaining the beneficial properties of ODS steel. This would allow the use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to manufacture large-scale ODS parts, even though ODS is currently only available as a powder. WAAM is a promising technique for producing components like the replaceable ARC vacuum vessel in CFS’ fusion reactor design. Meanwhile, this project will also expand PNNL’s capability in producing custom wire feedstock with friction extrusion, enabling downstream large-scale manufacturing with WAAM and solid-state based additive manufacturing. The project achieved its goals of developing tooling and fixturing to produce ODS wire at smaller diameters than previous projects. Several small lengths of wire of 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm diameter in the range of 2.5-30 mm long were produced at tool temperatures that are known to cause ODS particle coarsening (~1200 °C). Fixtures and tooling for longer (>1 m) wires were developed but further process development is needed reduce tool temperature during extrusions and to increase wire length needed for WAAM testing and development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel Wire Feedstock Development for Large Format Additive Manufacturing - CRADA 620 (Abstract)

This CRADA project funded through DOE’s INFUSE program seeks to demonstrate the viability of fabricating large, complex parts from oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel with advanced manufacturing. Exhibiting excellent radiation tolerance and high mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, ODS steel is a promising structural material candidate for near-plasma components in fusion energy systems. Its use, however, has been limited by a lack of manufacturability. This project will seek to produce ODS steel wire through a solid-state shear assisted extrusion process and then demonstrate that the wire can undergo controlled local melting while being welded with the final part sufficiently retaining the beneficial properties of ODS steel. This would allow the use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to manufacture large-scale ODS parts, even though ODS is currently only available as a powder. WAAM is a promising technique for producing components like the replaceable ARC vacuum vessel in CFS’ fusion reactor design. Meanwhile, this project will also expand PNNL’s capability in producing custom wire feedstock with friction extrusion, enabling downstream large-scale manufacturing with WAAM and solid-state based additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

AMVOS: Additive Manufacturing Video Object Segmentation Dataset

This dataset provides labeled video frames from four additive manufacturing (AM) processes for video object segmentation (VOS) tasks. It contains 90 video segments comprising 900 individually annotated frames across five AM datasets: laser hot-wire directed energy deposition (LHW-DED), tungsten inert gas wire arc additive manufacturing (TIG-WAAM), plasma arc welding (PAW), visible-light polymer extrusion (visPolymer), and near-infrared polymer extrusion (irPolymer). Each video segment consists of 10 contiguous frames with corresponding pixel-level object instance annotations. Depending on the process, two of four object classes are labeled per frame: Melt Pool, Feed Wire, Nozzle, or Material. Raw frames are provided as .jpg files and annotations as palettized .png files. The dataset follows the directory structure of established VOS benchmarks (DAVIS, YouTube-VOS, MOSE), enabling direct integration into VOS model training and evaluation pipelines for foundation model fine-tuning, domain adaptation, or zero-shot performance benchmarking. Data was collected at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.

Wetzel, Jon [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of Surface Treatment Solutions for Stamping Tools Fabricated via Additive Manufacturing

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and H.E.F. USA, Inc. (HEF) partnered to develop wear resistant surface treatment of additive manufactured steels for stamping die applications under CRADA agreement NFE-19-07909. This project aimed at evaluating the ARCOR® process, developed by HEF, to improve the surface behavior of 410SS (stainless steel), 410NiMo SS, 630 SS, and Maraging 250 steel coupons and demo components, fabricated via wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), with and without post print heat treatment. The peak hardness achieved was ~1000 HV and above (Up to 1300 HV) for all materials under proper processing parameters, and far exceeded the target hardness of 746 HV (60 HRC). Finally, stamping tools were printed and nitrocarburized with the optimum parameters, and then went through 500 fabrication cycles. Characterization of the used 17-4PH stamping tool discovered no crack or delamination in the nitrocarburized layer and the interface between the nitrocarburized layer and substrate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Adaptation of Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes for the International Space Station

The In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, in a partnership with the company, Made in Space, has previously investigated 3D printing of polymer materials on-orbit. In recent years, the project has begun exploring the potential for metal additive manufacturing (AM) on future space missions to reduce logistics and enable point-of-use manufacturing for sparing and repair. This presentation will provide an overview of constraints for demonstrating a manufacturing process on the International Space Station (ISS) as well as trades of available metal AM processes and their potential for in-space use. There are currently two processes in development as payloads for an ISS technology demonstration: wire+arc additive manufacturing (the Vulcan payload from Made in Space, Inc.) and bound metal deposition (the Fabrication Laboratory from Techshot, Inc). An update on both of these systems, results to date, and future development efforts will be presented. Relevant modeling work to evaluate operation of certain aspects of the processes in a microgravity environment will also be summarized.

manufacturing↗