| Abstract Scope |
The NSF supports research in Additive Manufacturing through its Advanced Manufacturing (AM) Program. The AM program seeks innovative proposals in materials engineering and manufacturing processes to produce novel materials and structures, in aggregate, forming useful components and products. Besides laser-based metal and polymer fusion and filament-based deposition processes, bioprinting, printable electronics, and nanoscale 3D printing are among the novel additive manufacturing methods investigated. There is a need for additively manufactured components to have longer useful lives, which requires addressing resilience to minor defects and faults and even tampering. This need opens new opportunities for research in ICME applications in additive manufacturing, which should move the technology to a level where quality high-value parts and components are made reliably and certifiably, especially, since many of them will be made in low volumes. This talk will describe NSF’s Advanced Manufacturing program, its research in additive manufacturing and the needed application of ICME. |