Dyndrite receives $1.3 million from America Makes

Dyndrite and partners Siemens Energy and ASTM International are among the three teams awarded America Makes grants.

Currently, metal 3D printing qualification processes are complex, manual and error-prone, resulting in long lead times, high costs and variable results. Additionally, OQ ties up AM machines for extended periods of time, reducing available machine time for part production. Manual OQ methods require significant commitment from engineers and operators, resulting in unwanted variation. OQ usually requires multiple passes to ratify basic material properties and develop optimal parameters for a specific geometry before the process is established. Typically, OQ results in the production process being limited to a specific part version, a specific vendor’s machine and often a specific serial number. A simple change to the part, a machine upgrade or productivity improvements require a new and lengthy OQ.

“We are excited to be working with an established experienced user of additive manufacturing within regulated industries,” said Steve Walton, Head of Product, Dyndrite. “Siemens Energy has already demonstrated the use of AM for critical applications, appreciates the costs and challenges associated with OQ, and also understands how Dyndrite and ASTM can contribute to reducing costs and increasing material performance. Together we are building tools that will lead to further applications innovation within Siemens Energy for the benefit of the AM industry.”

Ramesh Subramanian, Principal Expert at Siemens Energy, added, “We are honored to be part of this project and to collaborate with esteemed partners like Dyndrite and ASTM. Our joint efforts are poised to spearhead innovations that streamline operational qualifications, which are crucial for advancing additive manufacturing into regulated applications.”

‍The award-winning project, involving Siemens Energy and ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE), will demonstrate methods to streamline and automate OQ for LPBF and provide commercial solutions. The result will be a data-validated software toolkit that will enable Siemens Energy to automate its build and reporting creation process, neutralizing machine variability through parameterization across LPBF platforms. It is expected to reduce the preparation time and therefore the cost of builds by 50%.

“This project represents not just a step forward but a significant leap for the entire industry, promising enhanced efficiency and improved quality across the board,” said Richard Huff, Director of Industry Consortia and Partnerships at ASTM International. “Our involvement underscores the team’s commitment to supporting standardization efforts that enhance operational qualifications and maintaining compliance in additive manufacturing.”