AFIT EWI Fellows overlooking the high bay at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Left to right: Capt Joseph Cunningham, Ms. Jessica Szwec, Ms. Kelly Bryant, and Capt Joseph Banaszek (Contributed photo)
By Capt Joseph Cunningham, Capt Joseph Banaszek, Kelly Bryant, and Jessica Szwec
AFIT, Education with Industry Fellows
Knoxville, TN. – Air Force Institute of Technology Education with Industry (EWI) Fellows across contracting, engineering, program management, and finance disciplines, traveled to the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore additive manufacturing capabilities at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF). The multi-functional team is working to develop solutions to some of the Air Force’s current challenges in additive manufacturing and the MDF was the perfect place to visit to see ground-breaking research in this area.
The MDF focuses on early-stage research and development to improve productivity and competitiveness of American manufacturers through advanced manufacturing technologies, including additive manufacturing (3D printing). It is a user facility that drives development of new materials, software, and systems through collaboration between public and private organizations as well as equipment manufacturers. Projects at the MDF are facilitated through cooperative research and development agreements (CRADA). The facility has numerous metal, polymer, and concrete printers, as well as hybrid printers that combine additive and subtractive manufacturing.
The team met with the data analytics lead, Dr. Vincent Paquit, to discuss artificial intelligence and machine learning as it relates to additive manufacturing. Dr. Paquit is seeking to answer the question “Can we use a data driven approach to certify a part when it comes out of the printer?” His team is working to gather data on additive manufacturing via in-situ process monitoring using geometric and defect mapping during printing. These two maps create anomaly detection in real time instead of having to wait until the entire part is printed to verify accuracy.
Representatives from Zeiss met with the team to explain the capabilities they offer for quality inspections of 3D printed parts. Zeiss’s goal is to provide a holistic solution from raw material analysis all the way to the final part. The company is collaborating with the MDF and has therefore placed imaging machines that scan parts to check for internal defects. The machines provide data on the microstructure of the parts and areas where defects could cause part failure. Customers use this data to determine if the defect is critical and to improve the printing process for future parts. The collaboration will allow Zeiss to continually improve their equipment to meet potential AM customers’ needs and accelerate part qualification.
The first day ended with a discussion on current DoD projects at the MDF. The Navy has spearheaded several efforts in additive manufacturing at the facility, including the first 3D printed submersible hull, a 3D printed propeller, and a 3D printed underwater robotic arm system.
EWI Fellows on the shop floor in front of the MedUSA printer, one of the largest additive manufacturing machines in the facility. It consists of three robots and a rotary table and can produce parts 2 meters in diameter and 2 meters tall, depositing 100 lb/hour of material Left to right: Capt Joseph Banaszek, Capt Joseph Cunningham, Ms. Jessica Szwec, and Ms. Kelly Bryant. (Contributed photo)
The second day began with a tour of the MDF given by Dr. Lonnie Love, Manufacturing Systems Research Group Lead. Dr. Love shared information about each machine in the MDF and specific projects that the machines support. He explained the research occurring on different materials and processes to solve challenges for the DoD and other customers. Some of the research projects in work now are on-site concrete printing of wind turbine towers and alternative materials development, such as bamboo, for disaster relief operations. The tour also included the Zeiss imaging lab where parts are taken for internal and external measuring and inspection.
After the tour the team met with Scott Smith, Machine Tool Research Group Lead. Mr. Smith’s group focuses on making better use of the existing machine tool base, creating new machines for new manufacturing needs, and workforce development. The team also met with Tom Feldhausen, additive manufacturing engineer, to learn about hybrid manufacturing. Hybrid machines combine advantages of additive and subtractive manufacturing, while minimizing disadvantages such as high material waste.
The trip allowed the Fellows to explore different research initiatives occurring outside of DoD and understand how those initiatives can potentially solve additive manufacturing challenges within the Air Force. The team agreed that the environment at the MDF was very collaborative. It was encouraging to see organizations working together and taking risks to advance additive manufacturing technology.
