Smart Manufacturing Processes and Equipment Program 

The objective of the Smart Manufacturing Processes and Equipment Program is to develop and deploy advances in measurement science that will enable rapid, agile and cost-effective production of innovative, complex products through advanced manufacturing processes and equipment.

This program addresses measurements and standards necessary to develop next generation smart manufacturing processes and equipment that are optimized to enable cost effective and agile manufacturing of complex, technology-intensive, innovative, customized products of the future.  The program will accomplish its objective through solution-enabling measurement science research and standards development on: (1) additive manufacturing, (2) smart machining, and (3) micro- and nano-manufacturing.  

This program is closely aligned with the EL mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness in technology-intensive manufacturing by anticipating and meeting the measurement science and standards needs of the U.S. manufacturing industry.  The program is structured around the EL vision to be the source for creating critical solution-enabling measurement science and for critical technical contributions underpinning emerging standards that will be used by the U.S. manufacturing industry.  The program has the following unique features that distinguish it from manufacturing research conducted in industry and academia: 1) emphasis on baseline performance metrics, metrology, and standards that can be applied to a broad class of measurement and manufacturing technology challenges, 2) effective use of NIST’s demonstrated diverse interdisciplinary expertise, sustained commitment, and neutrality that are essential for the development of harmonized and unbiased national and international standards needed by broad sectors of industry.  In short, NIST has the necessary expertise, program focus, and mission to address the high-priority measurement science challenges in smart manufacturing processes and equipment most needed by U.S. industry.

Some recent accomplishments in additive manufacturing include:

• Obtained a leadership role in ASTM F42 by membership in Executive Board, proposed a, strategic approach, and framework for AM standards.
• New draft standard for test artifacts for assessment of AM machines and processes to enable vendors and users of AM technology making quantitative comparisons among different machines and processes, and reducing risks of selecting appropriate technology for the production needs.

Some recent accomplishments in smart machining include:  

• First ever international standard on testing machine tool capability for batch production (ISO 26303: 2012) to enable users to identify the capability of machine tools producing a batch of products within specified dimensional tolerances.
• Revised and harmonized international standard on geometric accuracy of machine tools (ISO 230-1:2012) to be more applicable for checking machine's functional capability so the U.S. manufacturers' needs and requirements are represented in this international standard.
• New NIST Virtual Machine Tool model used by the international STEP-NC Manufacturing Group (KTH, Step Tools, Sandvik, GE Energy, University of Bath, IQL, ASME, Ameritech, Airbus, and Pratt&Whitney) to predict accuracy of machined parts.
• Some recent accomplishments in micro- and nan-manufacturing include:
• Capability of diamond turning of optics to conduct research on closed-loop control of micro optics manufacturing with form accuracy of about 200 nm and surface finish of 40 nm.
• Improved capability for nano-scale motion microscopy for better characterization of MEMS/NEMS performance.
• NIST leading an industrial team (Alio, Lion Precision, Aerotech, Corning, Newport, Pratt&Whitney, nPoint, Kriterion, Precitech, 3M, Moore, Hardinge, and LLNL) developing new draft standard for testing ultra-precision positioning systems that are used in on-machine form metrology instruments.