MRI: Acquisition of Open-Source Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion Platform to Expand Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a novel open-source electron beam powder bed fusion (EPBF) system. As the first system of its kind in the US, this instrument will enable University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) investigators and a large network of collaborators to perform fundamental research in key areas of metal additive manufacturing—enabling new material systems and enhanced process understanding and control.

This knowledge can lead to lighter, stronger, higher quality and more versatile materials and parts--enabling more fuel-efficient cars that can be produced at lower cost, minimally invasive medical instruments and implants, and advanced aircraft engines with higher efficiencies and significantly reduced emissions and fuel consumption. The instrumentation will also enhance training for the next generation advanced/smart manufacturing workforce through use in undergraduate research and education and K-12 outreach activities.

The instrumentation will enrich outreach activities in regional middle and high schools, to recruit students from predominantly underrepresented Hispanic backgrounds to pursue STEM careers.

The instrumentation will enable researchers to gain insight into processing-structure-property links for the EPBF process and, together with the capability for novel scan strategies, will provide knowledge needed to fabricate complex materials such as refractory alloys, high strength aluminum alloys, Ni-Ti shape memory alloys and metal matrix ceramic composites. The instrumentation’s process monitoring capabilities will enable researchers to gain fundamental insight into physically relevant process phenomena such as powder ejecta, powder charging and oxidation that can cause defects.

The instrumentation’s high temperature processing capabilities will enable researchers to better understand the intricacies of phase changes, defect formation, and microstructural evolution in relation to the thermal history during processing. This will provide a foundation for advances in fabrication of materials that withstand harsh conditions and the development of more durable and resilient smart parts and novel materials needed for energy, aerospace, defense, transportation and medicine.

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.