The NSF Is Investing in ‘Revolutionary’ 3D Printing Materials

In terms of innovations in additive manufacturing, one area that is continuously being explored by not just companies but also government institutions is undoubtedly materials. Though the sector has come far in terms of what is available, there are still limitations. For this reason, more and more we are seeing research projects and funding designed specifically to address existing gaps. In the latest news, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a $72.5 million investment to “drive the design, discovery and development of advanced materials needed to address major societal challenges” in the hope of creating revolutionary solutions, including for 3D printing.

More specifically, this is being done through the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) program. In this, a number of different projects are being funded including some being developed for 3D printing. NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanthan further explained the goals of the program, commenting, “By integrating numerous research disciplines across NSF as well as federal and industrial partnerships, this program truly revolutionizes the design, discovery and development of new materials for addressing urgent national needs. Some of these have been used to formulate highly sensitive therapeutic proteins to mitigate the primary effects of spinal cord trauma, carbon dioxide capture to address climate change, and advanced quantum materials and semiconductors for powerful computation and communication needs, to name just a few.”

Amorphous metals (such as those used in these applications from Trumpf) are one of the key types of materials being explored for additive manufacturing through this NSF program (photo credits: Trumpf)

Creating ‘Revolutionary’ 3D Printing Materials

Out of the 37 new four-year projects, six are expressly designed for the creation of materials in 3D printing, encompassing over $6.5 million in total. The projects themselves differ greatly as well, with two dedicated to polymers and the remaining four covering different topics in metals. We can point especially to the need to develop superalloys, but there is also a growing focus on amorphous metal additive manufacturing. However, all do seem to be centered on the idea of creating parts with superior strength and toughness and though the AM technologies are not specifically named, will involve the use of a laser.