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Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing of Composites

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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Additive Manufacturing (AM) Program studies the characteristics, material properties, and behaviors of composites to develop metrology tools and measurement standards for additive manufacturing. If you are interested in collaboration opportunities, or want to learn more about our efforts in composites AM, please contact us. 

Learn about our composites AM work by exploring the content below. 
Projects | News

a machine 3d printing a single-family home built out of concrete
We study composites for additive manufacturing, such as building materials, like the 3D printed building pictured above.
Credit: Adobe Stock

Projects

Click the plus icon (+) below to learn about our projects in composites additive manufacturing. 

Hierarchical Materials

This program seeks to develop fundamental structure-property measurements to support advanced manufacturing of a new class of composites. Our focus is on damage resistant materials with long term performance. Read more. 

Project Leader: Zois Tsinas

Images of carbon nanotube coating and crack
A carbon nanotube coating manufactured via electrophoretic deposition (left). High magnification SEM image of the coating shows its uniformity compared to a crack in the center (right). Credit: NIST

Multifunctional 3D Printable Polymer-Metal Composites

Our goal is to support innovation and fundamental research in additive manufacturing of multifunctional materials with low energy consumption, facilitating the transition from cutting-edge materials science to future AM technologies for multifunctional 3D hierarchical metallic and composite structures. Read more.

Project Leader: Ran Tao

News

Click the plus icon (+) below to explore news about our composites additive manufacturing efforts. 

3D Printing Finds a Custom Foothold in Manufacturing

Since May 2015, in a portion of its WorldPort distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, United Parcel Service has been operating a spare parts warehouse with no spare parts. Instead, the facility is stocked with ultrafast 3D printers that can build up almost any plastic part that’s required, layer by layer by layer — and have it ready for UPS to deliver anywhere in the United States by morning. Read more.

3-D printed wrench
A part of 3D printing's appeal is its ability to create tools and parts as needed, in remote locations. Aboard the International Space Station in 2014, NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore displays a ratchet wrench created from a 3D printer a long way from Earth.    Credit: NASA

NIST AM publishes research in additive manufacturing of composites. View some of our publications here.

Manufacturing, Additive manufacturing, Materials, Metrology and Standards

Contacts

Additive Manufacturing Program Coordinator

Created November 13, 2024, Updated December 11, 2024