Metals Additive Manufacturing

This DEVCOM ARL funded work focuses on harnessing alternative metal additive manufacturing processes to replace lightweight castings and forgings with scalable, low-cost alternatives. As an alternative to traditional castings and forgings, this research advances a suite of additive manufacturing technologies—including Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD), Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM), Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), and Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM)—to enable rapid, flexible, and high-performance production of large-scale metallic components. These processes provide complementary capabilities across solid-state and fusion-based methods, allowing for the fabrication of complex geometries, repair of existing components, and integration of advanced materials such as metal matrix composites. Central to this effort is the optimization of process parameters through processing–microstructure–property relationships to reduce defects, improve performance, and lower cost, while also mitigating residual stresses that can impact structural integrity and post-processing. By integrating modeling, in-situ monitoring, and advanced characterization, this approach establishes a robust framework for qualification and scalability. Collectively, these technologies offer a transformative pathway to replace or augment conventional casting and forging processes, significantly reducing long lead times while enhancing supply chain resilience and enabling next-generation manufacturing capabilities for defense applications.