Inkbit

NIST Seeks Participants for New 3D Printing Powder Consortium

ST Dentistry

Share this Article

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency within the US Department of Commerce (DOC), has issued a notice soliciting participants in its recently formed Metal Additive Manufacturing Powder (MAMP) Consortium. The group’s work will begin in July, 2023, and the NIST will accept qualified members to participate on an ongoing basis.

The purpose of the MAMP Consortium is to bring together experts from industry, academia, standards organizations, etc., to collaborate on developing “pre-competitive measurement science and standards” related to metal powders used in 3D printing. Members of the MAMP Consortium will need to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) (with some exceptions, subject to NIST’s discretion).

NIST’s Advanced Measurement Laboratory in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Per the notice for the MAMP Consortium on the Federal Register website, “Completed letters of interest or requests for additional information about the Consortium can be directed via mail to the Consortium Manager, Dr. Shawn Moylan, Intelligent Systems Division of NIST’s Engineering Laboratory, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8220, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, or via electronic mail to , or by telephone at (301) 975-4352.”

Additionally, for further information, potential participants can contact, “J’aime Maynard, TPO Agreements Officer, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Partnerships Office, by mail to 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 2200, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, by electronic mail to .”

Image courtesy of NIST

In this initial phase of the group’s activities, which is expected to last up to five years, participants will be required to contribute $25,000 to the organization — “or equivalent in-kind contributions”, presumably meaning resources and/or labor devoted to the research at hand. To begin, the Consortium will be focused above all on qualifying materials for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) processes.

As I pointed out last year in a post about the ASTM’s International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (ICAM), the business trajectory that the AM sector takes over the next decade or so “will be signaled far in advance by the state of the sector’s ability to standardize as it scales up.” In other words, as it takes shape, the work done by NIST and other similar groups will, as a whole, constitute one of the most useful roadmaps for gauging in advance where the 3D printing market is headed.

This will be especially true in coming years concerning metal AM, where a more conscious and accelerated effort will be required to sufficiently universalize the underlying technological processes and inputs. Thus, $25,000 might seem like a steep fee for membership, but it will almost certainly be an investment with a uniquely high rate of return for whoever can afford it. Moreover, although direct participants will of course benefit the most, the entire industry should eventually reap the gains of the MAMP Consortium’s activities.

Share this Article


Recent News

3D Systems Confirms Bid to Buy Stratasys to Create $1.84B 3D Printing Company

3D Printing News Unpeeled: Stratasys, Nano Dimension and 3D Systems



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3D Printing Financials: Stratasys Reveals Strong Q1 Earnings Ahead of $1.8B Merger with Desktop Metal

Following Nano Dimension (Nasdaq: NNDM)’s numerous failed attempts to acquire Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS), the 3D printing pioneer finally announced its merger with Desktop Metal (NYSE: DM) in a staggering deal...

Featured

Printing Money Emergency Broadcast: Stratasys and Desktop Metal to Merge in All-stock Deal

In what is shaping up to be the biggest deal in the 3D printing industry of 2023, Stratasys and Desktop Metal will combine to form a $1.8 billion company. Alex...

3D Systems Brings Flexibility to Large-scale 3D Printing

When it comes to large-format polymer 3D printing, there are a growing number of options, particularly for industrial robotic arms. However, most options on the market don’t tackle all of...

3D Printing News Unpeeled: Stratasys and Desktop Metal Merged

In a move that was both a surprise and widely anticipated Desktop Metal and Stratasys are said to merge. Yoav Zeif is to be the new CEO, the deal is...