LIFT, which is the country's national advanced materials innovation institute, has officially kicked off three new projects. These projects are the result of an open call in 2024 for proposals that focused on advanced materials of interest to the Department of War (DoW) and how those could work with DOW components or systems.
This request for proposals, titled the Advanced Materials Challenge, was created to provide innovative material solutions to the DoW. The three selected projects will be completed at LIFT's Advanced Metallics Production & Processing center, which is located within their headquarters in Detroit.
This is an overview of the three programs:
- Cross-Platform Printing of Structural High-Strength Aluminums and Aluminum Matrix Composites
This project is done in collaboration with Elementum 3D and will primarily focus on building a new approach to manufacture the company's Reactive Additive Manufacturing aluminum feedstocks. The goal of this project is to improve print quality and achieve uniformity across machines. - Use Wire-Based Additive Manufacturing Processes to Create a Ti-Cu-X Alloy with Refined Microstructure and Improved Mechanical Properties
In partnership with Raytheon Technologies Research Center this project will develop a Ti-Cu-X alloy for specific wire-based additive processes. The aim of this alloy is to replace and repair components in aerospace applications. - Utilize Advanced Data-Driven Approach for Virtual Qualification and Certification of Advanced Materials
With EOS North America as a partner, LIFT is working to update the qualification and certification process for advanced materials. In this case, materials sought by the DoW. This new process will leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence and will also utilize the knowledge and resources of Texas A&M university and the company 3Degrees.