The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced 30 projects that have been selected to receive a total of $57.9 million in grants from the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). Among the recipients were Fortify and polySpectra: the two additive manufacturing (AM) firms received $3 million, for a joint project to develop tooling used for the automotive sector.

Several other entities — National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), MPI Systems, RePliForm Inc., and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) — are involved in the project as well, and thus will also benefit from the funding. Specifically, the money goes toward the development of solutions for lightweighting automotive tooling, using Cyclic Olefin Resin-based composites. Cyclic Olefin Resin (COR) is polySpectra’s proprietary, printable version of cycloolefin copolymer (COC).

Compared to other polymers, COC has come into widespread use fairly recently. Its increasing popularity in commercial applications over the last couple of decades is thanks to its translucence and durability, making it optimal for use in the production of anything with a screen. Along with polySpectra’s COR, the participating companies will be using Fortify’s unique magnet-driven, DLP series of printers, FLUX.
In a press release, the principal investigator for the award, polySpectra’s founder, Raymond Weitekamp, commented, “Olefin-based thermoset composites have been used for many decades in extremely demanding applications such as wind turbine blades and fuel cell components, because they are among the most durable materials on the planet. Under this research grant, we will leverage Nobel-winning chemistry to directly 3D-print [COR]. The goal of the DOE project is to bring unprecedented materials durability to [AM], which will provide the industry with immense leverage for the decarbonization and reshoring of the US manufacturing sector.”
Additionally, the grant money will be used to help bring more individuals from underrepresented groups into the industry, by way of training and recruitment programs. This is at least the second AM project in the last couple of weeks to mention this same objective.

Although the initial R&D will focus on automotive parts, it is of course likely that, should the effort succeed, COR will start to be used in more applications. This is especially likely, considering the steadily growing interest in AM applications for electronics. As part of a larger AM carbon strategy, the potential to print screens close to the point of sale could be a huge asset in lowering the emissions created by the global production of consumer goods.
Finally, it’s worth emphasizing the amount of money pouring into the AM sector lately from the DOE, in particular. To be sure, the US government has long been one of the principal funders of AM. Nevertheless, there’s something at least symbolically momentous, about the fact that the energy-use considerations are overtly starting to factor into more and more projects.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
You May Also Like
Glasgow University Develops 3D Printed PEEK Lattices with Tuned Auxetic Properties
Glasgow University researchers have made PEEK-based lattice parts with tunable auxetic properties. The team published their work in Materials Horizons, building on similar work from last year with PLA. In...
3D Printing News Briefs, July 16, 2025: Patents, Pure Copper, K-12 Education, & More
We’re starting with patent news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as PostProcess Technologies has reached an exciting milestone of 50 patents granted! Moving on to 3D printers, Fraunhofer IFAM...
3D Printing News Briefs, July 12, 2025: Nerve Repair, Glass Nanostructures, adidas, & More
In this weekend’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re starting with medical news from 3D Systems, and then moving on to research about glass nanostructures and synthetic lichen. Then, 3D printing...
Analysis: TRUMPF Sells Additive Manufacturing Business to LEO III Fund
TRUMPF is leaving the AM industry. The German manufacturing solutions company has sold its additive manufacturing business to the Lenbach Equity Opportunities III private equity fund, a “special situations” credit...