Professor Denis Cormier (right), Director of RIT's AMPrint Center, demonstrates capabilities of the different high-tech 3D printers in the center as part of a recent workshop on additive manufacturing and 3D print applications to area industry professionals. (Photo credit: Pete Schuck/RIT Photography)
Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT's) AMPrint Center recently received a 10-year renewal contract from New York state to continue development of next-generation 3D-printing processes, materials, and applications. The renewal funding will be distributed in two five-year increments, and the first allotment of $5 million will be used beginning this fiscal year.
The AMPrint Center was established in 2015 to help position New York state as a global leader in 3D-printing technologies through industry, government, and academic partnerships.
New start-ups have matured in the state through AMPrint's research, training, and support capabilities. "Its team has also contributed technology to improve how high-performance materials, including metals and carbon fiber composites, are being used in 3D-printing applications," said Denis Cormier, Director of the AMPrint Center.
"The AMPrint Center is helping to breathe new life into this region's world-renowned printing industry by applying its expertise to the rapidly growing 3D-printing universe," said Cormier, the Earl W. Brinkman Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering.
The center has an extensive range of high-tech 3D-printing equipment being used for research, as well as hands-on educational and training resources for students, faculty-researchers, and corporate partners.
According to Wohlers' Associates, the global report on 3D printing and additive manufacturing stated that the industry grew from $5.1 billion in 2015 to nearly $22 billion in 2024.
This renewal grant is a result of the integral work provided by AMPrint: to support and launch start-up companies and to help existing companies successfully adopt industrial grade 3D-printing and additive manufacturing technologies in real-world applications. For example, AMPrint is helping Rochester-based 3D printer company Impossible Objects develop a machine that produces ultra-strong and lightweight carbon fiber composite components.
Impossible Objects recently installed what it refers to as the world's fastest 3D printer, the CBAM-25 machine, in the AMPrint Center. The new printer becomes another in a series of high-end, high-tech-and very fast-3D printer assets at the university, and multiple funded projects are already underway at the AMPrint Center using this new carbon composite 3D printer.
"There is an acute need for high-speed 3D printers that can produce very strong, very light weight components for drones and other applications," Cormier explained.
Additional applications include the development of custom-made carrier boards for the soldering process used to make electronic circuit boards. With the newer, faster printing process, Impossible Objects' capabilities reduce both time and cost to production.
"This is a ground-breaking piece of industrial manufacturing equipment," said Cormier. "If you visualize a digital printing press making magazines or newspapers, the paper is just flying through the machine. Now translate that into 3D printing; that is what Impossible Objects has done. They are using carbon fiber instead of paper. There isn't any 3D-printing technology that touches this machine's print speed, while simultaneously making such high strength parts."
Beyond speed and strength, AMPrint has also been leading the development of a 3D printer that operates like an inkjet printer in which the ink is molten metal. Cormier recently received a $3 million Future Manufacturing Research grant from the National Science Foundation to bring this technology closer to commercialization. Specifically, the team is scaling up the speed of this printing technology and is also expanding the types of molten metals that it can print. They expect to see it in commercial use within the next five years.
"I am biased of course, but I believe that this metal 3D-printing technology has the potential to transform the way many metal parts are made. Instead of mass-producing parts that are shipped halfway across the world for storage in huge warehouses, it will be possible to locally print metal parts on-demand just before they are needed," said Cormier.
On campus, several 3D-printing classes are available for undergraduate and graduate students using the AMPrint Center's broad range of equipment to ensure there is a pipeline of skilled engineers that can incorporate 3D-printing technology into varied industries.
These classes range from Introduction to 3D Printing and Personalized 3D Printing to Metal and Composite 3D Printing. Students are learning about 3D printing processes and applications through coursework, research projects, and internships with the AMPrint Center's industry partners.
Companies can also use any of the different industrial-grade machines or provide prototype devices for testing before commercialization. The AMPrint Center is involved in a diverse range of other industry and government funding projects. A collaboration between RIT and Alfred University is underway to develop a novel technique for 3D-printing glass structures that can go from ultra-low to ultra-high temperatures without cracking or breaking.
The center team is also helping a company to develop a 3D printer capable of producing full color customized dentures.
For more information contact:
Rochester Institute of Technology
73 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
585-475-2411
www.rit.edu