The Additive Manufacturing Consortium: Cutting-edge Access to Applied R&D
By Mark Barfoot
Do you feel isolated within your company as you try to adopt metal additive manufacturing? Do you wish that you had access to cutting-edge research findings that could help accelerate the learning/adoption curve? EWI’s Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) is a great place to get this knowledge. AMC member companies pool their membership fees to conduct pre-competitive research on high interest topics chosen by its members. In addition to receiving millions of dollars of research data each year, you are also able to take part in quarterly AMC meetings, learn directly from AM experts, and network with professionals who face similar challenges to your own.
AMC research projects for 2019 include:
- An ongoing study of Inconel 625 & 718 with a focus of looking at the creep and fatigue resistance of the parts
- A comparison of the various powder measurement techniques to identify all potential options and identify what technology provides the best comparable data for a specific type of powder
- An exploration of the best parameters to use in Laser Power Bed Fusion (L-PBF) system for specific complex features (ie: bridges or thin walls)
- An evaluation of all of the melt pool monitoring systems on the market and comparing the results from each
- A examination NDE techniques work to see which are best for complex AM printed part geometries
- An ongoing study of surface finishing techniques, focusing on how they improve fatigue resistance.
- A comparison of “new” AM technologies and existing AM processes.
If you are interested in learning more about the AMC, please contact me at [email protected]. The next AMC meeting is July 24-25 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and will include tours of Protolabs and Stratasys. We’d love to see you there.
Mark Barfoot is EWI Director of Additive Manufacturing Programs.