Advancing Modular Process Enhancement with Metal Additive Manufacturing

An example analysis of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) technology includes the laser melting of a continuous layer of metal powder by a company or the inject...

Aug 19,2022 | Cassie

An example analysis of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) technology includes the laser melting of a continuous layer of metal powder by a company or the injection of metal powder into a laser focused beam that is manipulated to manufacture parts from the bottom up. By 2020, the related additive manufacturing industry market economy is expected to be able to reach at least $20 billion per year in our low volume manufacturingcountry. In addition, additive manufacturing of specialty chemicals and solar thermal chemical energy also has great potential in China through the power of students using information modules Major Chemistry Teaching Processes for Continuous Intensification (MCPI) and reduced production costs, equipment overhead.

A solar panel module for the production of chemicals that harness solar radiation

Oregon State University and the Paris National Laboratory are learning to use 3-D printing to design and build microchannel chemical reactors and heat exchangers, working with a variety of industries in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere to reduce their size and weight by a factor of 5 to 10.

In the past, Oregon State University has been able to help multiple companies develop and manufacture enhanced components and reactors and bring them to market. However, scaling up students of intensive components is challenging for smaller companies and often requires analysis of long-term development collaborations with supply chain financial cooperative learning partnerships to leverage existing work capacity or capital investments in new manufacturing equipment for social production.

The use of additive manufacturing we can accelerate the adoption of new and enhanced information technologies, particularly in modular design structures.

Currently, Oregon State University and PNNL are working within the Modular Manufacturing Focus Area (MMFA) of the Additive Manufacturing Institute, in collaboration with Star Technology Corp, a subsidiary of PNNL. New Product Release custom part manufacturerfor Solar Thermal Chemistry.

Through a fast-track grant, STARS will establish pilot production of "star" modules to support field demonstrations. Stellar chemistry conversion technology supports a variety of applications, including Solar Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), which has a world record efficiency of over 70% for converting solar energy to chemical form and won 100 R&D awards in 2014. Multiple microchannel components were needed to meet the size and weight budget of the solar chamber at the focal point of the disk.

One of the goals of the project was to help STARS build a supply chain of key enhanced microchannel components with minimal capital investment. A major barrier to bringing STARS technology to market is the cost of these enhanced components. Additional cost savings beyond the traditional MAM approach are needed to penetrate the larger utility chemical production market.

For example, over 70% of the commodity management costs of heat exchanger sales come from social capital and powder costs; the issue of reducing the cost of producing microchannel components using MAM requires new machine prototype machining servicestools that allow us to effectively address the cost-driving development factors for these products.

OSU's Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Institute (atami) is working to modify the MAM tool to digitally process the properties of the material using an inkjet printhead to jet the material into the powder bed prior to laser densification.

Under the Rapid project, the tool will be used to develop new metal matrix composites with high-temperature strength and corrosion resistance, which could reduce the cost of parts by up to 30 percent.

Recently, the State of Oregon awarded $1 million over the next 18 months for the High Impact Opportunity Program (HIOP) to expand the capabilities of Oregon's current metal additive manufacturing ecosystem. the goal of HIOP is to develop new metal additive manufacturing processes, machine tools and materials in the state. These funds will be used to leverage current fast-track grants where hybrid machines being developed will be used to explore the development of nickel-based super alloys with enhanced thermal conductivity.

These student efforts will take advantage of the ability to selectively dope or alloy the microstructure of a metal part during a corporate build cycle so that we can tailor material properties within a single construct.

PNNL's design of a high temperature heat exchanger capable of significantly increasing the efficiency of a solar thermal chemical reactor to tailor properties within the metal will lead to new design freedom and smaller designs with unique physical properties, with a fundamental change in lighter reactor components. By increasing the value of the components produced, component manufacturers may incur significant capital expenditures associated with augmented manufacturing tools.

In this way, state investments in RAPID-funded projects offer the opportunity to create new supply chains that can be used not only for components that support enhanced modular chemical processes, but also for future aerospace and biomedical implant markets. Over time, the cumulative economic impact on these industries could reach billions of dollars and tons of high-paying jobs.