Speaker: Tobias Schaedler, Director

Affiliation: Center for Additive Materials, HRL Laboratories, LLC

New Metallic and Ceramic Materials for Additive Manufacturing

3D printing is widely expected to transform manufacturing. To this end, the portfolio of printable materials has to be increased and their mechanical performance improved. Recently, HRL Laboratories demonstrated the use of nanoparticle nucleants assembled on the surface of commercially available alloy powders to control solidification during selected laser melting. This enabled 3D printing of crack-free, fine-grained high strength Al7075 and Al6061 alloy parts for the first time. To overcome the current limitations in additive manufacturing of ceramics, HRL Laboratories has developed a resin formulation that can be cured with UV light in a stereolithography 3D printer and subsequently converted to a ceramic. This enables printing of complex shaped ceramic parts that exhibit high hardness, strength and temperature capability as well as resistance to abrasion and corrosion. This presentation will give an overview of the most relevant additive manufacturing technologies and their limitations with respect to achievable material properties and then show results of ongoing research to overcome these limitations.

About the Speaker

Tobias A. Schaedler is a senior research scientist at HRL Laboratories, LLC and directs the Center for Additive Materials. He is developing new materials and manufacturing processes for aerospace and automotive applications. His current focus is on expanding the portfolio of ceramics and metals available for additive manufacturing. He completed undergraduate studies at the University of Bayreuth in Germany and then received a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.