Department of Energy Seeks to Advance 3D Printed Tooling

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $3 Million to polySpectra and Fortify, along with National Renewable Energy Laboratory, MPI Systems, RePliForm Inc, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This funding will be used for the development of durable, direct 3D printed tooling that can be used for automotive lightweighting using Cyclic Olefin Resin-based composites. The project is in line with the DOE’s overall goals to decarbonize the U.S. industrial sector, advance clean energy manufacturing and improve America’s economic competitiveness and workforce diversity.

As climate change becomes a bigger concern, decarbonization and clean energy manufacturing are quickly moving past the status of buzzwords to real needs in industry. The DOE, especially through the ORNL has been a forerunner for this, researching the many different ways that technologies, especially additive manufacturing, can be used to make cleaner energy. This latest investment shows their confidence in the technology when it comes to tooling. Namely, they are hoping Fortify, a provider of 3D printers for advanced photopolymer composites, and polySpectra, a supplier of highly durable photopolymer resins will be able to make advancements in the arenas of cost, durability and of course sustainability by combining additive manufacturing with resin-based composites.

Fortify already has significant experience in the arena of 3D printed tooling. The company combines 3D printed molds with injection molding for robust solutions (photo credits: Fortify)

Raymond Weitekamp, polySpectra founder and principal investigator for the award, expanded, “Olefin-based thermoset composites have been used for many decades in extremely demanding applications such as wind turbine blades and fuel cell components, because they are among the most durable materials on the planet. Under this research grant, we will leverage Nobel-winning chemistry to directly 3D-print these robust composite Cyclic Olefin Resins. The goal of the DOE project is to bring unprecedented materials durability to additive manufacturing, which will provide the industry with immense leverage for the decarbonization and reshoring of the US manufacturing sector.”