2023 R&D 100 Award for OpeN-AM: A Platform for Operando Neutron Diffraction Measurements of Additive Manufacturing

ORNL researchers have developed OpeN-AM, a platform for performing operando neutron diffraction studies of metals during additive manufacturing, or AM, also known as 3D printing.

The platform consists of a deposition head, machining capabilities and IR, or infrared monitoring. All of which can be coordinated with operando engineering neutron diffraction measurements with the VULCAN beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source, or SNS, at ORNL.

This combination of capabilities provides unparalleled insight into the evolution of phase transformations and stressors that occur during the AM process. These new insights allow for continued improvement of AM processing to mitigate stressors and accelerate development of new materials and process strategies.

Funding for the research was provided by DOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Digital Metallurgy Initiative.

Alex Plotkowski from ORNL led development with Chris Fancher, Kyle Saleeby, James Haley, Ke An, Dunji Yu, Tom Feldhausen, Guru Madireddy, Yousub Lee, Joshua Vaughan, Suresh Babu, Jessie Heineman, Clay Leach, Wei Tang and Amit Shyam from ORNL assisting in development.