University of Missouri acquires TruPrint 2000 for Additive Manufacturing research
The University of Missouri College of Engineering (Mizzou Engineering), located in Columbia, Missouri, USA, has announced the acquisition of a TruPrint 2000 Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine from Trumpf, based in Ditzingen, Germany.
The new TruPrint 2000 will provide students with hands-on experience in up-to-date Additive Manufacturing technology and is expected to foster collaborative research across campus, as well as open up opportunities for industry partnerships. It is intended to complement the capabilities of the Materials Science and Engineering Institute, where researchers from Mizzou Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences work with faculty from NextGen Precision Health to investigate the design and application of high-performing materials.
“Right now we are trying to get the word out to forge new collaborations,” stated Scott Thompson, the Glen A Barton Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “We aim to work with several research groups, including those from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It’s a university-wide effort.”
Thompson is currently working with researchers at the University of Missouri Research Reactor to understand how nuclear irradiation affects the strength, microstructure and composition of test specimens produced by the TruPrint 2000 Additive Manufacturing machine.
“There are only about a dozen alloys out of thousands that can be successfully 3D printed for mechanical use. Others may crack or fail,” Thompson said. “So, before we can produce final parts, we need to understand their strength and other properties, especially before and after irradiation.”
Thompson also stated that Mizzou Engineering will offer opportunities to the surrounding industries to explore the benefits of Additive Manufacturing, including one-off projects and otherwise introducing partners to the technology.
“The goal is to work with everyone from startups to large companies,” Thompson explained.
Students can work with the TruPrint 2000 AM machine as part of their capstone projects or in Thompson’s special topics course MAE 4001/7001: Additive Manufacturing of Metals (this will be called MAE 4510 in autumn 2026). The hands-on experience is intended to prepare them for careers with companies that are already using similar technologies.
“This technology puts Mizzou Engineering at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and supports the College’s push in material science,” Thompson said. “It’s a significant step forward.”
