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NIST Laboratory Staff Partnerships 

via NNMI

Richard Cavanagh

Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs

Director, Special Programs Office
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NIST Laboratory Staff and 

National Network for Manufacturing Innovation 
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Original mission/purpose

Original model is based on traditional NIST efforts to engage with 

industry and other agencies in their measurement science 

needs.

 Through workshops, conferences, and meetings, NIST staff 

identify and leverage existing and emerging resources to 

address current and anticipated needs.

None of the NNMIs are NIST led 

 The interactions mimic traditional interactions as PIs, 

Groups, Divisions, Labs engage with industry and academia.

 NIST staff are drawn to the metrology challenge –

independent of NNMI sponsor. 
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NIST Labs Lead: Kevin Jurrens, EL 

• $5M Measurement Science Grant 

• Serve on Technical Advisory Board

• Serve on Advisory Groups and SubGroups

• Additive Manufacturing Road Map (EL)

• Process/Material/Property Data Schema (EL)

• Material Properties & Measurements (EL, MML)

Technical Collaborations: 

• NIST researchers collaborate with America Makes in several areas, including 

in-situ process monitoring, non-destructive evaluation, and layer-wise 

quality certification. 

• A NIST workshop on measurement science for additive manufacturing 

documented industry needs and priorities to use as a starting point for the 

National Additive Manufacturing Roadmap and the first America Makes set 

of projects. 

• America Makes engaged NIST for development of a standards strategy to 

carry forward the technical results from America Makes funded projects into 

ASTM F42 and ISO/TC 261 standards to ensure dissemination and transition 

of results to U.S. industry. 
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NIST Lead: Simon Frechette, EL 

• Seat on DMDII Executive Committee

• Seats on DMDII Technical Advisory Committee

• Seats on DMDII Working Groups:

– Standards for Digital Manufacturing Working Group

– Shop Floor Demonstration Facility Working Group

Technical Collaborations: 

• NIST researchers participate in DMDII technical projects. 

• NIST contributes to digital manufacturing standards to ensure dissemination 

and transition of results from DMDII funded projects to U.S. industry. 

• NIST is providing reference data for ASME and ISO manufacturing integration 

standards that are considered key by DMDII members. 

• DMDII engaged NIST’s Intelligent Systems Division (EL) to define and address 

the DMDII focus area on Intelligent Machines. 
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NIST Labs Lead: 

Timothy Foecke, MML

• ONR Government Oversight Panel for ONR 

• ONR review panel that selected LIFT. 

• Institute Proposal Review team 

• LIFT Project Ideation panel 

Technical Collaborations: 

• NIST will provide advanced metrology in the form of: 

– mechanical characterization (high rate and multiaxial) and 

– microstructural measurements (texture, crystallography, and phases) 

– expertise in measuring stresses (NCNR and DIC strain measurement)

• NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting (NCAL) research team is slated to 

participate in at least one of the Round Two projects being considered 

– NIST will provide complex mechanical characterization (ex. high rate testing of a 

new welding technology) and perhaps measure stresses around the joint.

• NCAL provides research team participants and SMEs as appropriate for LIFT. A 

CRADA is being drafted by TARDEC. No funds will come to NIST. 
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NIST Labs Lead: 

Jeffrey Gilman, MML

Seat on DOE/IACMI Governmental Panel

Technical Collaborations: 

• DOE and IACMI leadership recently visited NIST to tour composites 

research labs and to plan collaboration between IACMI and NIST. Three 

NIST projects were discussed: 

– Advanced fiber measurements (MML) 

– NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting (MML) 

– Advanced Composites project (MML) 

This project includes partnerships with CNST for their expertise in nanomanufacturing, 

EL for their expertise in service life, and PML for their expertise in measurements. 

• Tools being developed by NIST-funded Center of Excellence for advanced 

materials research Center for Hierarchical Materials Design UseCase project on composites may be of use for the Advanced Composites 

Institute. 
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NIST Labs Lead: Christopher Soles, MML 

• SMEs during RFP and Proposal Reviews: 

– MML - Materials Science and Engineering 

– PML - Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology

Future Technical Collaborations: 

• NIST and AFRL have been discussing the a shared laboratory space and beam line 

facilities at National Synchrotron Light Source that would be dedicated to FHE 

processing. 

• NIST had round table discussions with AFRL’s Nano Bio Manufacturing Consortium 

on standards development in flexible electronics. 

• NIST organized workshops and a symposium with the FlexTech Alliance related to 

standards and metrology for printed and flexible electronics 

• The NIST-funded Center of Excellence for advanced materials research 

Use-Case project on Organic Photovoltaics. 
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NIST Lead –Gerry Fraser, PML

Proposal Evaluation Team Members: 

• Gerald Fraser (PML), Sensor Science 

• Bob Hickernell (PML), Electromagnetics 

• Rich Mirin (PML), Quantum Electronics and Photonics 

• Kartik Srinivasan (CNST) 

Technical Collaborations (anticipated):

• Invited to participate in the metrology working group.

• NIST likely to share cost of multi-project wafer project, so allow space 

on the wafer for NIST projects

– Well-characterized test structures

– Measurements and Data on Optical Properties of materials

– Embedding of “NIST –on-a-chip”
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Lab Staff and the NNMIs

Three levels of engagement with NIST staff in the Laboratory Programs

 Discussions, meetings, workshops with industry sectors as ideas, 

concepts and challenges are being formulated.

 Sitting on the boards or advising the boards of established Institutes.

 Participating on technical projects at the request of established 

Institutes

NIST Commitment in the Partnership:

• Equipment

• LIFT, NIST-on-a-chip, CHiMAD, ..

• Expertise

• Staff knowledge in measurement science 

 Standards Development Process

• Staff engagement in the standards development process

KEY to Success:

• Align with existing NIST priorities

• Lightweighting, Robotics, IOT, Standards, NIST-on-a-chip, metrology
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Evolution of model/focus over time

Challenges/Risks/Plans for the Future 

 Important for the NIST labs to both engage with the NNMIs, and ensure 

the strength of NIST’s core competencies. 

 The NNMIs are an organized and focused set of stakeholders where the 

Lab Programs can engage. We intend to pursue that engagement. 

 As the NNMIs grow and flourish, the ability of the NIST labs to engage 

meaningfully may exceed the resources available. 

Evaluation Criteria

 Alignment with NIST mission 

 Map to NIST priorities

 Role/importance of Measurements and Standards