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Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Center Overview

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) develops advanced manufacturing technology associated with materials joining and metal additive manufacturing. Research projects use a mix of computational and experimental tools to achieve objectives and meet the needs of its broad-based industrial membership.

Ma2JIC's mission is to advance the science and technology of advanced manufacturing as it applies to materials joining and metal additive manufacturing (printing). The goals are to:

Develop scientifically based methodologies for assessing material weldability and printability that span nanometer (nm) to millimeter (mm) length scales.
Close the gap between materials innovation and manufacturability.
Develop experimental and computational tools for materials joining and advanced manufacturing.
Develop a new generation of materials joining and additive manufacturing engineers and scientists.

Materials joining and additive manufacturing are important aspects of advancing manufacturing, particularly in the context of incorporating advanced materials into the manufacturing of new products. Issues arise where the application of new materials (including printed) have been limited, or precluded, by an inability to join them. A basic problem on the path from development to implementation is the lack of a structured, scientifically based methodologies for determining material weldability and printability. The concept of weldability/printability occurs at the intersection of the joining/printing process and the materials' response to the thermal and mechanical conditions that are imposed by the processes. Considering the diverse need for materials in virtually every industry segment, it is critical to develop scientific methodologies to join and print these materials.

Universities

University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Ohio State University
Colorado School of Mines
Lehigh University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Antonio J. Ramirez
Professor, Center Director
+1 614 292 8662
ramirez.49@osu.edu

Claudia Rawn
Site Director University of Tennessee Knoxville
+1 865 974 5340
crawn@utk.edu

Angus Rockett
Interim Site Director, Colorado School of Mines
+1 303 384 2244
arockett@mines.edu

Brooke Felts
Center Manager
+1 614 292 1182
felts.13@osu.edu

Stephen Liu
Center Staff
+1 303 273 3000
sliu@mines.edu

Norman Zhou
Affiliate Site Director, University of Waterloo
+1 519 888 4567
nzhou@uwaterloo.ca

John DuPont
Site Director, Lehigh University
+1 610 758 3942
jnd1@lehigh.edu

Research Focus

Additive manufacturing/process development and control

Ma2JIC promotes innovation and development in additive manufacturing and joining processes. Areas of interest and focus: metal additive manufacturing, brazing, advanced arc welding, solid-state joining, sensors, process monitoring and control, and the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve these processes.

Material and joint performance

Ma2JIC's focus is on the understanding and optimization of welded/printed materials performance when exposed to industry service environments. Assess using a multitude of variables including: material composition, welding/printing process and techniques, and service conditions. Dynamic material performance includes examination of the effects of strain, fatigue, and corrosion. Includes validation and development of models based on experimental results. The goal is to optimize materials, welding, and printing solutions, as well as the code requirements governing industry.

Metallurgy/microstructure/weldability

The goal is to develop a better understanding of the fundamentals associated with failure mechanisms; create new and revolutionary ways to quantify the material weldability/printability and seek standardization; study the interconnected effects of microstructure, thermo-mechanical history and composition on weldability/printability; explore real-time nondestructive testing techniques to monitor joints and printed components; and have a better understanding of long-term predictability of joints and printed materials.

Process and materials modeling

Ma2JIC researches the development and deployment of computational models that can provide a comprehensive understanding of microstructure and performance of joints and printed materials/components, as a function of joining/printing processes and process parameters. Models are also being developed to support materials innovation and predict performance under challenging conditions.

Awards

2052819

IUCRC Phase III Colorado School of Mines: Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) is a multi-university consortium leading materials joining and metal additive manufacturing research by fostering and translating scientific discovery to application. The Center also educates the next generation of scientists and engineers that will develop new advanced manufacturing technologies and process innovations to rebuild the competitiveness of U.S. domestic manufacturing. Given the importance of materials joining for the manufacturing of products that are critical to health, safety, national security, and the continuity of multiple industries, Ma2JIC serves multiple sectors of national interest for the U.S. economy and defense. The center provides a highly collaborative research environment among government partners, industry, and university faculty and students to promote the development and application of fundamental knowledge in materials joining and additive manufacturing. The Center also serves as a platform for the education of a well-trained and diverse scientific and engineering workforce. Ma2JIC’s primary focus on research and development translates into industry members' and consumers' benefit. The coordinated effort across all sites increases public awareness, scientific literacy and a diverse STEM pipeline. Based on the needs of its large and diverse industrial membership, Ma2JIC supports research in the following three thrust areas: (1) Materials & Joints Performance, (2) Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control, and (3) Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability. The Materials & Joints Performance thrust focuses on the effect of materials and manufacturing processes on the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of manufactured or printed components, especially with regard to improved reliability, cost reduction and extension of service life of critical infrastructure. The Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control thrust area addresses fundamental challenges in joining and additive manufacturing (AM) processes, robotics, and control, as well as integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) frameworks for joining and AM. Finally, the Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability thrust area seeks to develop fundamental understanding and testing capabilities to enable evaluation and development of materials more amenable to advanced joining and manufacturing processes. The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) site has expertise and facilities that directly complement the welding metallurgy and processing specialties of partner sites, especially in the design of filler metals/feedstocks using multi-scale physics-based models, pilot-scale manufacturing of fillers, computing-intensive artificial intelligence and robotics, and state-of-the-art AM equipment with in-process sensing capabilities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1822201

Phase II IUCRC at Colorado School of Mines: Center for Manufacturing & Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) addresses the question of infrastructure rebuilding and innovative materials application in modern manufacturing which are of national interest. The Ma2JIC Center establishes an environment between universities and industrial partners that promotes the development and application of fundamental knowledge in the areas of materials joining and additive manufacturing and provides a platform for the education of the next generation of scientists and engineers. As one of the sites since its inception, the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Site has complemented the Center with its unique expertise and laboratory facilities in the design and manufacturing of innovative welding materials, welding and joining process innovation, welding materials characterization, and additive manufacturing for the energy, aerospace, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries. The CSM Site will seek to intensify its collaborations with the other Center Sites to jointly develop collaborations with the welding, joining and manufacturing industries, large and small, national laboratories and government agencies. The strength of the Center is the ability of the group to close the gap between materials development and weldability for materials used in the manufacturing industry, with ultimate societal gain from all these amazing synergies. The Ma2JIC Center research thrusts of Process Innovation, Materials Performance, Additive Manufacturing, Weldability Testing and Evaluation will develop fundamental understanding as described by the materials tetrahedron - "Processing-Microstructure-Properties-Performance". CSM Site researchers are examining the fundamental aspects of GTA and Laser weldability of Laser-Powder bed fusion AM built products, solidification behavior of Laser-Powder bed fusion and Directed Energy Deposition AM products, and filler metal development for microstructural optimization in Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication products, including metal matrix composites. The incorporation of Reaction Synthesis powder into tubular wires for both laser-based and electron beam-based additive manufacturing is being attempted. The effect of surface tension on AM deposits will be fully characterized and understood for process control. Another research focus addresses the design and manufacture of thermal spray coatings with enhanced wear and fracture resistance for oil and gas drilling operations. The CSM Site will continue to study and design low transformation temperature welding (LTTW) consumables for distortion control and residual stress mitigation control. These programs are expected to lead to the development of fundamental knowledge as well as practical technology. The CSM Site is also pursuing cross university and multi-industry collaboration on intelligent welding, friction stir processing, robotics, advanced neutron and X-rays characterization, and data-driven modeling. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2052612

IUCRC Phase III Pennsylvania State University (PSU): Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) is a multi-university consortium focused on materials joining and metal additive manufacturing research. The Center fosters and translates scientific discovery to application while educating the next generation of scientists and engineers that will develop new advanced manufacturing technologies and process innovations to rebuild the competitiveness of U.S. domestic manufacturing. Given the importance of materials joining for the manufacturing of products that are critical to health, safety, national security, and the continuity of multiple industries, Ma2JIC serves multiple sectors of the U.S. economy and defense. The center provides a highly collaborative research environment among government partners, industry, and university faculty and students to promote the development and application of fundamental knowledge in materials joining and additive manufacturing. The Center is a platform for the education of a well-trained and diverse scientific and engineering workforce. Ma2JIC’s primary focus is on research and development that translates to industry members' and consumers' benefit. The coordinated effort across all sites increases public awareness and scientific literacy. Based on the needs of its large and diverse industrial membership, Ma2JIC supports research in the following three thrust areas: (1) Materials & Joints Performance, (2) Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control, and (3) Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability. The Materials & Joints Performance thrust focuses on the effect of materials and manufacturing processes on the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of manufactured or printed components, in particular as they relate to improved reliability, cost reduction and the extension of the service life of critical infrastruture. The Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control thrust addresses fundamental challenges in joining and additive manufacturing (AM) processes, robotics and control, as well as integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) frameworks for joining and AM. Finally, the Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability thrust seeks to develop fundamental understanding and testing capabilities to enable evaluation and development of materials more amenable to advanced joining and manufacturing processes. Pennsylvania State University is a natural partner in Ma2JIC and brings complementary capabilities in materials weldability, manufacturing and joining process development, materials performance, modeling innovation, and additive manufacturing. In addition to enhancing its existing strengths, Penn State will also bring new capabilities and research focus areas to expand the range of projects and industry partners affiliated with Ma2JIC. Penn State has historical strengths in powder metallurgy, and ceramic and plastics processing. While these focus areas complement the current Ma2JIC research thrusts, they also allow for an expansion of capabilities and research into related advanced manufacturing processes and promote the integration of multi-material systems into existing and new product forms for the industry partners. These capabilities will also compliment the industry partner base within Ma2JIC and bring new industry partners in related manufacturing areas, such as materials and aerospace parts suppliers. Future work will build upon modeling and material characterization to develop new research involving multi-materials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1822144

IUCRC Phase II at The Ohio State University: Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center - Ma2JIC

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) at The Ohio State University, in conjunction with its partner universities, has successfully established a platform to promote the synergistic collaboration between world leading industrial and academic organizations to develop and apply fundamental knowledge in the areas of materials joining and additive manufacturing, as well as educating the next generation of leading and diverse scientists and engineers in the area of advanced manufacturing. Materials joining and additive manufacturing are critical enabling technologies essential to maintaining US leadership in manufacturing and to expand its workforce. When combined, these intrinsically related technologies impact virtually every segment of the US industry. Ma2JIC develops R&D projects that are critical to its industry and government partners and provide students with scientific, engineering and leadership skills that allow them to contribute to society. The center scientific activities include conventional and advanced materials welding and joining, metallic additive manufacturing, fundamental materials science, integrated computational materials engineering, and fitness-for-service. Ma2JIC's large, diverse and synergistic industrial membership supports an interesting portfolio of research projects in four thrust areas, namely 1) Material Performance, 2) Weldability/Manufacturability Testing and Evaluation, 3) Modeling, 4) Additive Manufacturing and Processes Innovation. The Materials Performance thrust area involves structural materials and manufacturing processes related projects that have an important effect on the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of the products, along with focuses on extending the lifetime of critical components, cost reduction and reliability. The Weldability/Manufactutability Testing and Evaluation thrust area seeks to develop testing methods for validating new materials and processes and support the agile development of new manufacturing-amenable materials. The Modeling thrust area concentrates on the development and use of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) tools that expedite and reduce the cost of joining and additive manufacturing technologies deployment to industry, and rigorously consider the complex interactions between materials and processes. The Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Process Innovation thrust area addresses fundamental aspects of metal deposition processes and the development of new joining/manufacturing processes that address the challenges of current and future manufacturing demands involving advanced materials. The results of the center R&D projects significantly enhance applications of existing materials as well as enables the use of advanced materials in a wide range of demanding industrial applications, substantially benefiting the U.S. economy and defense. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2052729

IUCRC Phase III University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK): Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) is a multi-university consortium leading materials joining and metal additive manufacturing research by fostering and translating scientific discovery to application. The Center also educates the next generation of scientists and engineers that will develop new advanced manufacturing technologies and process innovations to rebuild the competitiveness of U.S. domestic manufacturing. Given the importance of materials joining for the manufacturing of products that are critical to health, safety, national security, and the continuity of multiple industries, Ma2JIC serves multiple sectors of national interest for the U.S. economy and defense. The center provides a highly collaborative research environment among government partners, industry, and university faculty and students to promote the development and application of fundamental knowledge in materials joining and additive manufacturing. The Center also serves as a platform for the education of a well-trained and diverse scientific and engineering workforce. Ma2JIC’s primary focus on research and development translates into industry members' and consumers' benefit. The coordinated effort across all sites increases public awareness, scientific literacy and a diverse STEM pipeline. Based on the needs of its large and diverse industrial membership, Ma2JIC supports research in the following three thrust areas: (1) Materials & Joints Performance, (2) Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control, and (3) Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability. The Materials & Joints Performance thrust focuses on the effect of materials and manufacturing processes on the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of manufactured or printed components, especially with regard to improved reliability, cost reduction and extension of service life of critical infrastructure. The Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control thrust area addresses fundamental challenges in joining and additive manufacturing (AM) processes, robotics, and control, as well as integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) frameworks for joining and AM. Finally, the Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability thrust area seeks to develop fundamental understanding and testing capabilities to enable evaluation and development of materials more amenable to advanced joining and manufacturing processes. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) site complements collaborative research within the center with its unique research capabilities and infrastructure resources for conducting various characterization studies and a Machine Tool Research Center (MTRC) with milling and additive manufacturing systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2052747

IUCRC Phase III The Ohio State University: Manufacturing & Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) is a multi-university consortium leading materials joining and metal additive manufacturing research by fostering and translating scientific discovery to application. The Center also educates the next generation of scientists and engineers that will develop new advanced manufacturing technologies and process innovations to rebuild the competitiveness of U.S. domestic manufacturing. Given the importance of materials joining for the manufacturing of products that are critical to health, safety, national security, and the continuity of multiple industries, Ma2JIC serves multiple sectors of national interest for the U.S. economy and defense. The center provides a highly collaborative research environment among government partners, industry, and university faculty and students to promote the development and application of fundamental knowledge in materials joining and additive manufacturing. The Center also serves as a platform for the education of a well-trained and diverse scientific and engineering workforce. Ma2JIC’s primary focus on research and development translates into industry members' and consumers' benefit. The coordinated effort across all sites increases public awareness, scientific literacy and a diverse STEM pipeline. Based on the needs of its large and diverse industrial membership, Ma2JIC supports research in the following three thrust areas: (1) Materials & Joints Performance, (2) Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control, and (3) Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability. The Materials & Joints Performance thrust focuses on the effect of materials and manufacturing processes on the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of manufactured or printed components, especially with regard to improved reliability, cost reduction and extension of service life of critical infrastructure. The Additive Manufacturing, Process Development & Control thrust area addresses fundamental challenges in joining and additive manufacturing (AM) processes, robotics, and control, as well as integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) frameworks for joining and AM. Finally, the Materials, Microstructure & Weldability & Printability thrust area seeks to develop fundamental understanding and testing capabilities to enable evaluation and development of materials more amenable to advanced joining and manufacturing processes. The Ohio State University (OSU) site complements collaborative research within the center with its research capabilities and infrastructure resources for weldability and printability test development; accelerated alloy development and design, process and materials evolution modeling; non-destructive evaluation; and additive manufacturing using powder-bed and large scale direct energy deposition techniques using electron and laser beams as well as wire-based arc welding. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1822186

Phase II IUCRC at University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK): Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) research aims to close the gap between materials development and weldability by developing scientifically based methodologies for assessing weldability and joinability that span length scales over a wide variety of materials. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) site strengths include materials development, crosscutting capabilities including multi-scale characterization and modeling, and metal additive manufacturing (AM). AM technologies have the potential to benefit society in a multitude of ways including reducing scarce and dwindling raw materials and producing unique parts for variety of applications associated with aerospace, infrastructure, energy, and automotive industries. Equally important is educating and developing a new generation of materials joining engineers and scientists. Engineers will design by building layer-by-layer and parts can feature unlimited possibilities in design complexity. During Phase I the UTK site of Ma2JIC established collaborative research with small-, medium- and large-scale industries and national laboratories and began shaping and refining a research agenda based on industrial needs. During Phase II the Ma2JIC UTK site seeks to continue to grow these collaborations along with research relevant to future and existing manufacturing industries, establishing new collaborations, and initiating projects that will strengthen collaborations with the other Ma2JIC sites. Technical efforts of the Ma2JIC UTK site promote innovations in welding, materials joining, and additive manufacturing technologies through interdisciplinary research bringing together design, robotics and automation, process innovation/control, materials science, advanced characterization and high-performance computational modeling. The research portfolio of the UTK site brings capabilities in the area of large-scale additive metal manufacturing and characterization techniques, especially using radiation based scattering and imaging using neutrons and X-rays. The end results of the projects will be focused on promoting higher yields and scale-up of proven laboratory developments relevant to aerospace, infrastructure, energy, and automotive applications. The research promotes scientific discoveries related to the thermo-mechanical-chemical properties of new and existing materials consolidated and joined using traditional and new techniques. Complementary computational and experimental characterization techniques, including in situ and ex situ conditions, will be applied to understand issues such as cyclic thermal and stress loading, residual stress development, and microstructural evolution. The UTK site will produce fundamental research techniques and students versed in these techniques at the crossroads of joining and additive manufacturing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the National Science Foundation.

ITW Hobart
Knightvision LLC
Lincoln Electric
Los Alamos National Laboratory - MET
Naval Nuclear Laboratory (Fluor)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Oshkosh
Quintus Tech
Sandia National Laboratory
Schlumberger
Shell Downstream
Shell Upstream
Soteria BIG
Stress Engineering Services
Suncor Energy Inc
TechnipFMC
Thermo-Calc