The Advanced Materials Challenge was designed for industry and academia from across the US to accelerate the delivery of innovative material solutions for Department of War applications
LIFT, the national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), has launched three initiatives as part of the Advanced Materials Challenge.
The Advanced Materials Challenge was designed for industry and academia from across the nation to accelerate the delivery of innovative material solutions for the Department of War (DoW) applications, including utilizing LIFT’s Advanced Metallics Production & Processing (AMPP) center, which was opened earlier this year, aimed at solving a critical gap in addressing advanced materials challenges across the US industrial base.
Located at LIFT’s Detroit headquarters and advanced manufacturing facility, the new center delivers high-quality metal powder, wire, and rod feedstocks across all alloy classes at a development scale to support the diverse breadth of additive manufacturing processes on the market today, curated by LIFT’s team of materials scientists.
The three projects
Enabling robust cross-platform printing of structural high-strength aluminums and aluminum matrix composites with Elementum 3D. The project will develop and test a new approach to produce Elementum 3D’s Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) aluminum AM feedstocks to enhance print quality and uniformity across machine makes. Elementum 3D will design RAM alloy formulations for printing using Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) systems and perform analysis of the samples printed. LIFT will produce the novel RAM powder in its AMPP center’s gas atomization system and conduct AM parameter development.
Development of Ti-Cu-X Alloy with Refined Microstructure and Enhanced Mechanical Properties Using Wire-Based Additive Manufacturing Processes with Raytheon Technologies Research Center (RTRC). The project is aimed at developing a novel Ti-Cu-X alloy specifically tailored for wire-based additive manufacturing processes, with a focus on achieving a refined microstructure to enhance mechanical properties suitable for replacing aluminum stator compressor components, replacing Titanium alloys for engine rotors, and repairing titanium components in aerospace applications. LIFT will optimize the use of a Plasma Multi-Wire Additive Manufacturing (PMWAAM) process through the use of a multi-wire feeder and directed energy for the in-situ alloying processes. LIFT also plans to leverage the Field-Assisted Sintering Technology (FAST) process for the production of Ti-Cu-X alloys.
Virtual Qualification and Certification of an Advanced Structural Material Leveraging (ML) Advanced Data-driven Approaches with EOS North America. The project aims to revolutionize the qualification and certification of advanced materials of interest to DoW by leveraging AI and ML. By utilizing data-driven qualification and certification with Texas A&M, creating a user-friendly interface through advancements created by 3Degrees, and with the demonstration of PBFM builds by LIFT, it seeks to replace the traditional qualification framework with efficient, data-driven approaches, reducing costs, lengthy post-build testing, and improving material and process readiness for overall efficient and faster qualification for DoW-specific applications.
“As a technology accelerator, it is incumbent upon us to work with our network of members across the country to drive innovation in materials, processes, and systems faster,” said Noel Mack, Chief Technology Officer of LIFT. “We are thrilled to have had so many proposals for really innovative projects and are excited to have these three launched.”
LIFT, in partnership with the Department of War, held an open project call last year seeking proposals to focus on identifying an advanced material of interest to the DoW, designing using decision aid tools and automation tools, prototyping both virtual and physical material systems (i.e. digital twins), and demonstrating the material’s applicability in a DoW component or system.
