As the world moves toward more sustainable power systems, such as wind and solar, there is a growing need for economical, large-scale battery backup systems that can provide power when sun and wind are blocked or unavailable. Lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of battery on the market. However, they are currently too expensive for […]
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been investigating the additive manufacturing of aluminum alloys for several years. In particular, the researchers have been focused on materials that can perform under high pressure in high temperature environments, which are needed for automotive, aerospace, defense and space applications — such as pistons within an engine. Recently the […]
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Rice University have developed a new manufacturing method that combines 3D printing with traditional casting in order to produce damage-tolerant components composed of multiple materials. The A356/316L composite components have showed a significantly greater damage tolerance than aluminum alone. “This scalable processing strategy can be used to fulfill specific component functions, giving […]
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers partnered with industry partners and university students to design and produce the world’s first 3D-printed excavator as part of Project Additive Manufactured Excavator (AME), which will focus on using metal additive manufacturing to develop heavy construction machinery. The prototype will leverage large-scale additive manufacturing technologies and explore the feasibility of printing with metal […]
Joining aluminum and carbon fiber composites for lightweight cars and other multi-material high-end products could become less expensive and the joints more robust because of a new method that harnesses a laser’s power and precision. The process, developed by a team led by Adrian Sabau of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), […]
