Auburn University selects PrintRite3D for several AM projects
January 26, 2022
Sigma Labs, Inc., Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, a developer of quality assurance software for the commercial Additive Manufacturing industry, has announced that its PrintRite3D® in-process quality assurance solution will be used by Auburn University, based in Auburn, Alabama, for a number of new projects.
The solution will be installed on the university’s EOS M290 machine and is the start of an academic and industrial collaboration between the university and Sigma Labs. Sigma Labs will deploy its system under a commercial lease/purchase program that provides more flexible and acceptable terms for academic institutions and early adopters.
PrintRite3D will be implemented at the Auburn University National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME) to utilise additively manufactured components to improve commercial air and space travel. NCAME is funded by a $3 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Its objective is to address issues related to the variability in Additive Manufacturing machines, as well as generate an understanding of how microscopic anomalies in additively manufactured metals affect overall fatigue and fracture properties.
“This is what I call the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of Additive Manufacturing,” explained NCAME director Nima Shamsaei, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “Such variations make the qualification and certification of AM materials and parts challenging. We intend to use PrintRite3D to detect anomalies during fabrication and relate them to the variations in mechanical performance of 3D printed parts.”
Mark Ruport, president and CEO of Sigma Labs, commented, “We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Auburn University, and especially the opportunity to participate with the exciting partnership between NCAME, NASA, the FAA, and Auburn. These great organisations are working hard to find methods to utilise 3D printed parts to support aviation and space industries. In close coordination with the NCAME, we are also supporting the efforts of the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, with the objective of closing AM standards and workforce gaps.”
