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Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing

Our Team

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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Additive Manufacturing (AM) Team is comprised of three laboratories: 

Engineering Laboratory

Researcher Brandon Lane making adjustments inside the large 3D printer
The Engineering Laboratory promotes U.S. innovation and competitiveness through robust research science. 
Credit: © Earl Zubkoff

The Engineering Laboratory (EL) promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology for engineered systems in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life. EL’s AM research is exploring barriers to adoption of additive manufacturing, such as surface quality, part accuracy, fabrication speed, material properties and computational requirements. To mitigate these challenges, the program focuses on material characterization, real-time control of additive manufacturing processes, qualification methodologies and system integration. Learn more. 

 

Material Measurement Laboratory

Diane Nelson, a person in a mask and lab coat, works with plastic test tubes at a lab bench.
Diane Nelson pipettes compounds at a lab bench. 
Credit: J. Izac/NIST

The Material Measurement Laboratory's (MML) Additive Manufacturing Program is investigating additive manufacturing-related issues for several material types (metals, polymers, ceramics, and biomedical materials). MML AM studies materials to better understand their characteristics, behaviors, and applications. MML uses these understandings to develop standard reference materials (SRMs) for researcher and industry use. These understandings and reference materials benefit U.S. commerce and competitiveness by providing vital information for increasing efficiency in U.S. manufacturing. Learn more.

Physical Measurement Laboratory

NIST's Andrew Wilson holds an ion trap in his lab in Boulder, Colorado. Behind him are screens depicting dots.
NIST researcher Andrew Wilson holds a surface-electrode ion trap used for quantum information processing. The computer screen behind Wilson shows three white dots, a live microscope image of three single atoms. They are held in a triangle pattern by an ion trap like the one Wilson is holding.
Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

The Physical Measurement Laboratory is studying emissive properties of materials in solid, powder, and liquid states, as well as improved techniques for real-time temperature measurements to support better understanding and modeling of additive manufacturing processes. Learn more.

 

Manufacturing, Additive manufacturing, Materials, Metrology and Standards

Contacts

Additive Manufacturing Program Coordinators

Created October 22, 2024, Updated April 15, 2025