The National Science Foundation awarded a $197,643 Project Grant to San Diego State University Research Foundation under the Engineering federal grant program (CFDA 47.041). The grant will fund research from January 2022 through December 2023 to develop techniques for making high-temperature alloyed components by combining additive manufacturing and spark plasma sintering. Specifically, the grant aims to enable greater complexity in component shapes while also predicting microstructures. The...
This $550,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support research into a mold-free manufacturing process for common polymer parts. The University of Illinois, the prime awardee, will study a "growth printing" technique that leverages a self-propagating polymerization front to rapidly and cost-effectively produce polymer parts without the need for expensive molds. Key objectives include experimentally and analytically...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering (CFDA 47.041) Project Grant award of $647,188 to Arizona State University (ASU) will support fundamental research to enable additive manufacturing of high-quality, fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The project aims to develop a new composite manufacturing platform that uses remote heating to instantly polymerize and rigidize the printed composite material during the additive manufacturing process. Key research objectives include elucidating...
This $325,044 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research to develop a new "aerodynamic fiber deposition" technology to manufacture biomimetic soft fiber-reinforced composites with spatially varying fiber arrangements. The research aims to enable the production of high-throughput, highly controlled nano/microfiber patterns that mimic the complex fiber structures found in biological tissues like skin, muscle, and...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1,149,379 Project Grant through the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to develop methods and materials for additive manufacturing that enable 3D printing of multi-material objects. The key research objectives are: 1) developing multi-material digital light processing (DLP) resins using machine learning to create patterns with extreme mechanical contrast, 2) creating a...
This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), provides $481,998 to support research at the University of California, Berkeley on developing a new additive manufacturing process for multi-material and multi-functional part fabrication. The principal investigator will conduct fundamental research into a charge-programmed additive microfabrication technique to rapidly pattern...
This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $636,261 to the University of Massachusetts Lowell to research and develop new structural materials inspired by nature. The key objectives are to derive a fundamental understanding of molecular interactions and toughening mechanisms in inorganic minerals, with the goal of tailoring tough and durable binders as an alternative to cement and concrete. The research explores novel...
This $404,595 National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program grant, awarded to the University of Delaware on March 1, 2024, supports research to enhance multi-material additive manufacturing (3D printing) through the use of advective assembly techniques. The project aims to develop modular 3D printing nozzles capable of rapidly structuring and depositing multi-material composites at higher resolution and volumetric throughput than conventional methods. This could enable new applications...
This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $348,579 supports research at Montana State University from June 2022 to May 2027 under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041). The award will fund development of additive manufacturing techniques for sustainable thermoplastic composites incorporating biologically derived enzymes and electrically conductive fillers. Specifically, the university researcher will work to encapsulate heat-sensitive enzymes within 3D printing filaments to substantially...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) Project Grant award of $496,138 supports research to uncover relationships between optimal laser scan sequences, temperature distribution, distortion, and residual stress in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The project aims to mathematically, numerically, and experimentally investigate advanced thermal and thermomechanical modeling approaches to determine optimal scan sequences that can reduce...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Program (CFDA 47.041) Project Grant, awarded to the San Diego State University Foundation, supports research to develop an innovative additive manufacturing (AM) approach for fabricating bioinspired hybrid materials. The $637,665 award, effective from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2030, will fund the investigation of a novel AM technique that integrates photo-induced polymerization and layered cooling crystallization to mimic natural biomineralization processes. The research aims to advance scientific understanding of how cooling parameters, resin chemistry, and bioinspired polymer patterns impact crystal nucleation, growth, and bonding during layered cooling crystallization. The findings are expected to enhance design flexibility and optimize manufacturing practices for multifunctional materials with applications in sports gear, smart protective devices, biomedical implants, and beyond. This project also includes educational activities to engage students across the U.S. and prepare a highly skilled workforce.