U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (  A locked padlock
) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. https://www.nist.gov/additive-manufacturing/faqs
  Search NIST
    Search
              Menu

      


Close
    Topics
        All Topics
                                                        Advanced communications
                                                        Artificial intelligence
                                                        Bioscience
                                                        Buildings and construction
                                                        Chemistry
                                                        Climate
                                                        Cybersecurity
                                                        Electronics
                                                        EnergyEnvironment
                                                        Fire
                                                        Forensic science
                                                        Health
                                                        Information technology
                                                        Infrastructure
                                                        Manufacturing
                                                        Materials
                                                        Mathematics and statisticsMetrology
                                                        Nanotechnology
                                                        Neutron research
                                                        Performance excellence
                                                        Physics
                                                        Public safety
                                                        Resilience
                                                        Standards
                                                        Transportation
            Publications
            Labs & Major Programs
        Laboratories
                                Communications Technology Laboratory
                                  Engineering Laboratory
                                  Information Technology Laboratory
                                  Material Measurement Laboratory
                                  Physical Measurement LaboratoryUser Facilities
                                NIST Center for Neutron Research
                                  CNST NanoFab
                                                        Research Test Beds
                                                        Research Projects
                                                        Tools & InstrumentsMajor Programs
                                Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
                                  CHIPS for America Initiative
                                  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
                                  Office of Advanced Manufacturing
                                  Special Programs Office
                                  Technology Partnerships Office
            Services & Resources
        Standards and Measurements
                                Calibration Services
                                  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP)
                                  Quality System
                                  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)
                                  Standards.gov
                                  Time Services
                                  Office of Weights and MeasuresSoftware
                                                        Data
                                Chemistry WebBook
                                  National Vulnerability Database
                                  Physical Reference Data
                                  Standard Reference Data (SRD)
                                                        Storefront
                                                        License & PatentsComputer Security Resource Center (CSRC)
                                                        NIST Research Library
            News & Events
        News
                                                        Events
                                                        Blogs
                                                        Feature Stories
                                                        AwardsVideo Gallery
                                                        Image Gallery
                                                        Media Contacts
            About NIST
        About Us
                                Leadership
                                  Organization Structure
                                  Budget & Planning
                                                        Contact Us
                                                        Visit
                                                        Careers
                                Student programsWork with NIST
                                                        History
                                NIST Digital Archives
                                  NIST Museum
                                  NIST and the Nobel
                                                        Educational Resources
 
 Manufacturing
      Additive manufacturing
    
      
  Publications
          Workshops and Roadmaps
                            Expand or Collapse
          Roadmap for Metal-Based Additive Manufacturing
                      Roadmap for Polymer-Based Additive Manufacturing
          Resources
                            Expand or Collapse
          SRD Materials Data Program
                      Additive Manufacturing Test Artifact
                      Additive Manufacturing Benchmark Test Series (AM-BENCH)
          Programs & Projects
          FAQs
          Tools & InstrumentsAdditive Manufacturing FAQs

Share
  Facebook
                      Linkedin
                      Twitter
                      Email

What is additive manufacturing?Additive manufacturing fabricates parts by building them up layer-by-layer (as opposed to cutting material away or molding it). It shows great promise for applications as diverse as lightweight aerospace structures and custom biomedical implants. 3-D Printing is one of several approaches to additive manufacturing.A NIST researcher works with a metallic object whose shape is designed to test the capability of an additive manufacturing device.
A NIST researcher works with a metallic object whose shape is designed to test the capability of an additive manufacturing device.Credit:
          
  Beamie Young\NIST
  How does additive work?Metallic, plastic or ceramic materials are laid down one thin layer at a time and placed precisely as directed by a digital design file. The raw materials are often in the form of powders or wires that can be melted and shaped by a laser.An example application for the medical industry would be an artificial jawbone. A 3-D computer model of a jawbone is created based on the patient's bone structure, and this model is sliced into many layers. The computer then feeds the information into the additive machine, which could generate the complex bone structure substitute out of metal.Which industries use it and how?Additive manufacturing shows promise for the defense, energy, aerospace, medical and commercial sectors. Its alternative approach to machining, forging, molding and casting makes it a good choice for rapidly making highly customized parts. The technology also shows promise for creating parts on site, such as at forward-stationed military bases. Because of its potential, many companies are using the technology to get themselves into a position to use it. The growing field of companies using the technology includes makers of machine parts and novelty items.What impact could it have on the economy/exports/jobs?One expected long-term impact is in highly customized manufacturing, where the technique can be more cost-effective than traditional methods. Instead of the difficulty of customizing a mold, for example, a manufacturer could just start with a powder and build a component directly. If you can imagine it, you can make it.laser melting metal powder
A laser melts metal powder, which then cools to a solid. The laser only melts in areas that correspond to a particular layer in the computer design.Credit:
          
  Beamie Young\NIST
  What is NIST doing to accelerate use and innovation with additive manufacturing?From performing its own in-house additive manufacturing research to funding projects elsewhere, NIST is advancing additive manufacturing in a number of ways.In NIST's Engineering Laboratory, the Measurement Science for Additive Manufacturing Program has four projects in metal-based additive manufacturing:Real-Time Control of Additive Manufacturing Processes involves improving the quality of the finished manufactured parts. At this point, high-quality parts can be made, but ensuring consistency is difficult. This project will develop process metrology, in-process sensing methods and real-time process control approaches to maximize part quality and minimize variability.Qualification for Additive Manufacturing Materials, Processes and Parts aims to improve the process for ensuring the quality of manufactured pieces of critical importance, such as a turbine blade in an aircraft engine or medical parts for implantation in the body. The quality assurance process is currently rather long and expensive, so this project will develop methods and protocols that will reduce the time and cost.Systems Integration for Additive Manufacturing aims to coordinate the various parts of the additive manufacturing process, such as the software used for design and the machine control software that creates the finished part. This project will establish an "architecture" for how these parts of the process fit together effectively, including metrics and validation methods to shorten the design-to-product cycle time.Characterization of Additive Manufacturing Materials involves developing measurements and standards for characterizing powdered metals—raw materials for additive manufacturing—in terms of particle size and shape, chemical consistency and size consistency. NIST is concentrating on metal powders right now and helping develop methods so that industry can rigorously verify that two nominally identical powders are in fact identical. This will lead to parts with better and more consistent properties. NIST's aim is to develop characterization test methods for the raw powder materials used, as well as the final products fabricated by the process.NIST awarded two large grants in 2014 to fund research projects aimed at improving measurement and standards for additive manufacturing: $5 million to the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, Ohio, for a collaborative research effort involving 27 companies, universities and national laboratories, and $2.4 million to Northern Illinois University to develop tools for process control and qualifying parts made with additive manufacturing processes. NIST has also made several smaller cooperative agreements with various groups. These competitively awarded grants will support industry's high priority objective of ensuring that quality parts are produced and certified for use in products made by a variety of industries and their supply chains.

    
    Created December 8, 2016, Updated April 5, 2022
 HEADQUARTERS
            100 Bureau Drive
              Gaithersburg, MD 20899301-975-2000
            Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices
        Twitter
            
Facebook
            
LinkedIn
            
Instagram
            
YouTube
            
Giphy
            
RSS Feed
            
Mailing List
                              How are we doing? Feedback

  
  Site Privacy
                      Accessibility
                      Privacy Program
                      Copyrights
                      Vulnerability Disclosure
                      No Fear Act Policy
                      FOIA
                      Environmental Policy
                      Scientific Integrity
                      Information Quality Standards
                      Commerce.gov
                      Science.gov
                      USA.gov
                      Vote.gov