Material Sciences

Solid State Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) 
Partner: MELD Manufacturing Corporation

The MELD Process (Also known as Additive Friction Stir Deposition) is a novel and innovative process for metal manufacturing. Traditional Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes melt metal, introducing weakness and other potential manufacturing issues. MELD makes metal parts without melting the metal, thereby offering stronger, better-quality parts. MELD is an open atmosphere process, meaning no special chambers or vacuums are needed. This flexibility not only means less equipment and lower cost, but also means that MELD is scalable and can make parts bigger, better, and faster than other processes. The MELD process is unlike any other and provides the ability to fabricate with materials that were once off the table and can even allow customers to work with unweldable metals. The combination of material freedom and scalability makes MELD an innovative manufacturing process to be considered for a wide range of industrial applications, including aerospace, defense, turbomachinery, and many others.

Specialized Coatings
 

Enabling fire protection of shipboard electrical cables with an intumescent coating that expands during a fire, providing shielding and insulation of the cable preventing fire damage.