Colorado School of Mines Program to Focus on Printer and Parts Qualification

At the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), mechanical engineering assistant professors Aaron Stebner and Douglas Van Bossuyt were awarded a $2.5 million Advanced Industries Accelerator grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) to establish a 3D metal-printing research consortium. Included is the establishment of 2200 sq. ft. of dedicated laboratory space in the school’s new Coorstek Center for Applied Science and Engineering. Manufacturer’s Edge, Boulder, CO, a statewide manufacturing assistance center partially funded by the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), will facilitate a Colorado consortium between industry partners Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Fauston Tool and CSM. The grant will support the consortium’s use of the new laboratory space to perform applied research and to create the database infrastructure needed to qualify 3D printers and their parts in a timely, cost-effective manner.

CSM will perform research along with Faustson and additive-manufacturing machine provider Concept Laser on a dual-laser 3D metal printer. CSM also plans to acquire the first U.S. university-owned X-ray diffraction microscope capable of diffraction contrast tomography and submicron-resolution computed tomography. The microscope will allow researchers to provide advanced microstructure characterization of 3D printed metal parts.

Over a 12-month period, CSM will conduct two pilot research projects, 3D-printing nickel and titanium alloys.

See also: Colorado School Of Mines

Technologies: Management

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