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Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing

Powder Bed Fusion

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Powder bed fusion can produce functional parts by melting and fusing layers of powdered material (e.g. metal) with either a high-power laser or an electron beam. The process is repeated hundreds or thousands of times, building the metal piece layer by layer. Finally, when the object is complete, the excess powder is removed, revealing the printed structure. 

Learn more about our powder bed fusion efforts below. If you would like guidance on additive manufacturing efforts or a chance to use our resources, explore our various research opportunities and/or contact us.

Projects | Tools and Instruments | Publications

A high-power laser spot scans back and forth over a layer of cobalt-chrome powder on NIST's powder bed fusion additive manufacturing machine. Where it touches, the powder melts and fuses to underlying layers until a fully dense 3D metal part is formed. The laser travels back and forth so fast that, in this still image frame, it appears to form a white hot stripe about 10 millimeters wide.
A high-power laser spot scans back and forth over a layer of cobalt-chrome powder on NIST's powder bed fusion additive manufacturing machine. 
Credit: Lane/NIST

Projects

Learn about our powder bed fusion projects by clicking the plus icon (+) below.  

Measurement Science for Additive Manufacturing

The Measurement Science for Additive Manufacturing is a program in the Engineering Laboratory featuring several projects primarily focused on metals-based additive manufacturing applications and technologies. The program aims to develop and deploy advances in measurement science that will enable rapid design-to-product transformation through: material characterization; in-process sensing, monitoring, and model-based optimal control; performance qualification of materials, machines, processes and parts; and end-to-end digital implementation and analysis of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes and systems. Read more.

Project Leaders: Brandon Lane & Paul Witherell

Fundamental Measurements for Metal AM

To instill confidence and aid adoption of AM as a viable technology for production in critical applications, a strong understanding of how to measure, characterize and qualify AM parts, processes, and feedstock materials is required. Experts in powder testing and characterization, surface topography, defect detection, x-ray computed tomography, dimensional characterization, instrumented indentation, destructive melt pool characterization, and laser material interactions are working together to produce a broad range of products. Read more.

Project Leader: Jason Fox

Advanced Machines, Monitoring, and Control for AM

Despite its potential, widespread adoption of AM technology faces two major obstacles - inconsistent part quality and low production efficiency. This project will address these challenges by developing and implementing advanced AM control and monitoring methods and demonstrate their positive impact on enhancing part quality and efficiency by integrating these innovations into AM machines/testbeds. Read more.

Project Leader: Ho Yeung

Metrology for AM Model Validation

Multi-physics and data-driven models are necessary to simulate, study, and optimize metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes, such as powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED). This project, along with a large number of collaborators across NIST and outside research organizations, aims to provide trusted measurement data for the purpose of AM model validation, primarily disseminated through the Additive Manufacturing Benchmark Test Series (AM-Bench). Read more.

Project Leader: Brandon Lane

Advanced Informatics and Artificial Intelligence for Additive Manufacturing

Advancements in additive manufacturing are progressively driven by digital technologies, with advanced sensors and measurements informing increasingly complex modeling and simulation paradigms and playing an important role in part design, production and qualification.  Advanced informatics are providing new opportunities to harness trusted data and information to acquire knowledge and develop actionable assessments in complex AM systems and environments. Read more.

Project Leader: Paul Witherell

Data Management and Fusion for AM Industrialization

The maturation of additive manufacturing (AM) into an industrialization (wide-scale production) technology requires an expanded notion of integration of both AM systems and AM data.  AM data integration and analytics need to scale up as well to automate workflows and improve decision-making across the AM supply chain. Read more.

Project Leader: Yan Lu

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Tools and Instruments

Learn about our instrumentation for powder bed fusion by clicking the plus icon (+) below.

Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT)

The NIST Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT) is a fully custom, open-platform laser powder bed fusion (LBPF) system to advance monitoring, controls, and metrology research. In addition to research specific to AM, the system employs a suite radiometric calibration and measurement instruments that enable the Temperature and Emittance of Melts, Powders, and Solids (TEMPS). Learn more about AMMT by watching the video below and by visiting the Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT) webpage.

 

 

NIST's 3D Printer Testbed
NIST's 3D Printer Testbed
This 3D printer builds objects by melting a fine metal powder with a laser. First, the surface is coated with metal powder. Then, a  high-power laser melts that powder in a particular pattern. The process is repeated hundreds or thousands of times, building the metal piece layer by layer. Finally, when the object is complete, the excess powder is removed. NIST researchers are studying this kind of 3D printing to give industry users tools for more control over their own 3D printing processes. Credit: Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST



 

Additive Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC)

The NIST Additive Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) is a state-of-the-art facility for conducting measurement science research for metals-based additive manufacturing. Learn more.

Laser Processing Diffraction Testbed (LPDT)

The LPDT is portable testbed capable of conducting AM experiments under high-energy Synchrotron X-ray, which enables simultaneous in-situ measurement of temperature and phase evolution of the AM material. Website coming soon.

Fundamentals of Laser-Matter Interaction (FLaMI)

The FLaMI is a laser powder bed fusion testbed that allows for direct control of the laser processing parameters with synchronized, high-speed measurements and allows for a variety of custom instrumentation to observe the AM process. Website coming soon.

Powder Spreading Testbed (PST)

The spreading of powder is an integral part of powder bed fusion-based additive manufacturing technologies. The PST is a testbed for observing and quantifying the spreading process with high-speed imaging and other instrumentation. Learn more about the PST by watching the video below. PST website coming soon.

 

 

High-speed video of metal powder spreading using the powder spreading testbed (PST) at NIST
High-speed video of metal powder spreading using the powder spreading testbed (PST) at NIST
This video shows the spreading of relatively coarse reused stainless steel (17-4 PH) powder feedstock (D50=38.4 µm) for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) using the powder spreading testbed at 60 mm/s recoater velocity. Additionally, the recoater blade is ceramic, the layer height has been set to 40 µm and this spread is conducted over previously spread powder (multi-layer spreading) as it occurs in LPBF equipment. The frame rate of the video is 16000 frames per second (fps). The resolution of each frame is 1000 pixels by 860 pixels, which corresponds to a 2.71 mm by 2.33 mm field of view. Each frame is timestamped. The playback speed is 30 fps, so it plays 533 times slower than the actual spreading.

 

 

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NIST AM publishes research about powder bed fusion for additive manufacturing. View some of our publications here.

Manufacturing, Additive manufacturing, Materials, Metrology and Standards

Contacts

Additive Manufacturing Program Coordinators

Created November 13, 2024, Updated April 15, 2025