Materials development and powder prototyping for Beam-based Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), dubbed as 3D printing, has garnered a great deal of academic and industrial attention due to its capabilities for fabricating complex geometries, rapid prototyping, topology optimization, and on demand production, to name a few. As opposed to traditional manufacturing, minimization of the need for thermomechanical processing and machining has boosted the momentum for a meaningful transition in the mass production of aerospace parts and bioimplants. Such a transition requires all the design and manufacturing aspects, such as materials and process development to proceed synchronously. Design and development of new materials for AM technology is crucial as most of the common engineering alloys were originally designed for traditional processing methods, and therefore, they might not be ideal for AM process. This seminar aims to present a research plan that lays out a framework for design and development of new materials that are optimized for AM technologies. We discuss an approache for alloy composition design and a powder manufacturing method with quick turnaround time to prototype powder with the desired composition. Process development for the new materials and the effects of process parameters on defects type and distribution will also be discussed. Mechanical performance of the AM parts, such as their static and cyclic performance, under service conditions will determine their qualification for failure critical applications. The output of this research is expected to assist the full industrial adoption of AM technology in the coming decades.