Additive manufacturing, the building of materials layer by layer and with high precision, is now turning the dream of complex, multimaterial components into a reality. Additive manufacturing allows designers the option of building a part as a single unit, from multiple materials, from the inside out. This capability improves the precision of the product's fabrication and reduces material waste. Read more. 

A material's properties and overall performance are determined by its chemical composition, crystalline state, and underlying micro-architecture.  These characteristics force engineers to accept certain trade-offs when choosing a material for a specific application.  This concession made by engineers may soon be a thing of the past because of Livermore-developed manufacturing practices that can produce designer materials with previously unattainable properties.  Read more. 

Recent advances in material design and fabrication have enabled production of customizable materials for a wealth of applications. Towards this end, Livermore researchers, in collaboration with external patners, are developing prototype additive manufacturing techniques to build highly optimized materials.  The techniques allow designers to alter the 3D micro-architecture of a material to control its structural, functional, thermal, or other properties.  As a result, materials can be made stronger, lighter, tougher, and more resistant to natural forces and external conditions, such as temperature fluctuations. Read more.

Imagine a part composed of multiple materials that can be made without seams or joints.  Or a component with intricate shapes and complex geometry that can be fabricated as a single unit. By eliminating the weakest parts of components, the seams and joints, the products we use every day could be transformed.  The ability to build complex geometries would make new products possible. Read more.

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are embarking on new research that will transform manufacturing processes by introducing metal additive manufacturing with the ultimate goals of reducing material waste, cost, manufacturing footprint, and significantly reducing the time required to manufacture parts. Read more.

When bringing a new product to market, often the most costly and time-consuming step in the process is certification. Sometimes, the entire process--which usually involves developing several prototypes and multiple physical test certification cycles--may be abandoned because the risk of failure is too high to justify the investment. Certifying a product while in the design phase, then immediately fabricatring it for final testing, would greatly reduce development times and cost. Digital manfacturing may soon make this possible. Read more.