Additive manufacturing (AM) uses digital designs to fabricate complex, three-dimensional products that are built up, layer-by-layer. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) is developing comprehensive measurement science standards and reference materials for AM, with the goal of helping U.S. manufacturers integrate AM into their processes.
All NIST laboratories are active in AM, with three labs funding AM Projects: Material and Measurement Laboratory (MML), Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML), and Engineering Laboratory (EL). MML AM strives to enable growth in AM through foundational science & characterization tool development and stakeholder engagement.
MML AM studies materials to better understand the fundamental behaviors of these materials under several conditions and to produce reference standards. These reference standards benefit U.S. manufacturing and competitiveness.
NIST's Material Measurement Laboratory performs AM research to better understand the characteristics and behaviors of materials (specifically metals, polymers, ceramics, and biomaterials). It also creates standard reference materials (SRMs) that researchers and industry use for calibration, research and development, and to adhere to rules and regulations. These understandings and reference materials benefit commerce and U.S. competitiveness by providing necessary information to make U.S. manufacturing more efficient.
You can find more information about NIST’s broader work in this space on the AM overview page.
MML focuses on foundational science and characterization tool development in several material types, including metals, polymers, ceramics and biomaterials. MML has three thrusts dedicated to AM: Materials Metrology, Data, and Standards.
Materials Metrology
This thrust area involves the development of in situ and ex situ metrology tools and measurement science to drive industry-wide innovation. MML AM aims to provide foundational understanding of structure and material properties at all relevant stages of the printing process (from feedstock to final part). These foundational understandings provide the necessary tools for making informed decisions during product design, development, and further materials research.
Data
MML AM works to produce streamlined/expedited qualification and certification to enable AM adoption as a sustainable manufacturing technology. Harnessing the utility of AM datasets drives novel material and processing development using materials design approaches that integrate processing-structure-property-performance models and experiments with machine learning and AI techniques.
Standards
Utilizing NIST’s unique commerce-driven mission, MML AM facilitates documentary standards development through public-private partnerships.
MML's AM program focuses on foundational science and characterization tool development in several material types, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and biomaterials. It also does fundamental metrology research for materials more broadly.