IUCRC Planning Grant University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: Center to Accelerate Recipe Development for Additive Manufacturing of Metals (CARDAMOM)

该奖项为德克萨斯大学格兰德河谷分校(UTRGV)拟议的一个新的三地工业大学合作研究中心(IUCRC)--加速金属添加剂制造配方开发中心(豆蔻)--的规划活动提供资金。豆蔻是由内布拉斯加-林肯大学与德克萨斯大学、格兰德河谷大学和阿拉巴马大学合作领导的。金属添加剂制造(AM)，也被称为金属3D打印，正在改变美国和世界各地的制造业。这种新的颠覆性技术已经产生了几个成功的故事，主要是在航空航天和生物医学领域。然而，由于粉末原料的限制、缺乏灵活而全面的金属AM研究和生产设施以及AM设计经验有限的员工队伍，进一步扩展到更大的制造业社区的工作受到阻碍。为了满足这些研究需求，豆蔻建议在整个“从粉末到零件”的开发周期中协助行业成员解决基础研究问题，以期实现最终的工程应用。此外，该小组将处理教育和劳动力发展的社会影响，这将对来自不同背景和教育机构的学生的培训产生重大影响。最终，豆蔻的目标是为制造商和政府研究实验室提供稳定的高素质工程师和技术人员。豆蔻的使命是通过与中心行业成员的积极接触，改变由AM创造的高性能、高质量金属部件的制造。关于技术影响，豆蔻将致力于以下方面：开发用于新合金的AM原料的生产方法；开发理解和解释现场测量数据的新方法和技术；利用先进的表征提供将加工方法与部件性能联系起来的3D微结构和纳米结构信息；开发新的计算方法来预测和了解微结构的发展，从而导致更好地设计新材料和工艺；开发创新的测量方法来量化激光与金属的相互作用；使用先进的计量学和无损检测来提高AM的构建质量；开发新的数据分析(机器学习)方法来进行数据解释和科学洞察。豆蔻将与整个供应链中的潜在成员接洽，包括设备制造商、航空航天和国防公司、工具和模具制造商、材料开发公司、工艺优化设计师和政府实验室。在UTRGV，该团队将利用先进制造中心的设备和资源，该中心拥有金属AM设备和定制的开放平台AM工艺，包括：激光辅助冷喷涂、开放平台粉末床熔合设备、8 kW开放平台激光DED、机器人搅拌摩擦焊接和机器人焊丝电弧。UTRGV项目包括：1)高沉积速率会聚激光DED工艺，2)高温应用的难熔金属合金的添加制造，3)高熵合金的激光添加制造的原位感应热处理，4)LPBF和激光DED的配方开发，以制造能源、工具和模具行业的金属硼化物。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award funds planning activities at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) for a proposed new three-site industry university cooperative research center (IUCRC), the Center to Accelerate Recipe Development for Additive Manufacturing of Metals (CARDAMOM). CARDAMOM is led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Alabama. Metal additive manufacturing (AM), also known as metal 3D printing, is transforming manufacturing within the United States and around the world. This new disruptive technology has already resulted in several success stories, primarily within the aerospace and biomedical sectors. However, further expansion to the greater manufacturing community is impeded by limitations in powder feedstocks, a lack of access to flexible and comprehensive metal AM research and production facilities, and a workforce with limited AM design experience. CARDAMOM proposes to address these research needs by assisting industry members along the entire “powder-to-part” development cycle to address fundamental research questions with a view toward final engineering applications. In addition, the team will address societal impacts of education and workforce development which will have a significant impact on the training of students from diverse backgrounds and educational institutions. Eventually, CARDAMOM aims to be a steady provider of high-quality engineers and technicians to manufacturers and government research laboratories. The mission of CARDAMOM is to transform the manufacturing of high-performance, quality metallic components created with AM via active engagement with Center industry members. With respect to the technological impacts, CARDAMOM will pursue multiple thrusts in order to: develop methods for production of AM feedstocks for new alloys; develop new methods and techniques to understand and interpret in situ measurement data; use advanced characterization to provide 3D microstructural and nanostructural information that connects processing methods to component performance; develop new computational methods to predict and understand microstructural development, leading to better ways to design new materials and processes; develop innovative measurements to quantify laser-metal interactions; use advanced metrology and NDE to enhance AM build quality; develop new data analytical (machine learning) approaches for data interpretation and scientific insight. CARDAMOM will engage potential members across the full supply chain, including equipment manufacturers, aerospace and defense companies, tool and die producers, materials development companies, process optimization designers, and government laboratories. At UTRGV, the team will leverage equipment and resources at the Center for Advanced Manufacturing which hosts metal AM equipment and custom-built open-platform AM processes including: laser-assisted cold spray, open-platform powder bed fusion equipment, 8 kW open-platform laser DED, robotic friction stir weld, and robotic wire arc. UTRGV thrusts include: 1) high deposition rate convergent laser DED processes, 2) additive manufacturing of refractory metal alloys for high-temperature applications, 3) in-situ induction heat treatment for laser additive manufacturing of high-entropy alloys, 4) recipe development for LPBF and laser DED to fabricate metal boride for energy, tool and die industries.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.