91����

Inspired by a visit to ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Jonaaron Jones launched a career in additive manufacturing that led to founding Volunteer Aerospace and now leading Beehive Industries’ external parts business. Through close collaboration with MDF, Jones has helped drive innovation in defense, aviation and energy, while growing high-tech jobs and strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base.

During his first visit to 91����, Energy Secretary Chris Wright compared the urgency of the Lab’s World War II beginnings to today’s global race to lead in artificial intelligence, calling for a “Manhattan Project 2.”

A research partnership between two Department of Energy national laboratories has accelerated inspection of additively manufactured nuclear components, and the effort is now expanding to inspect nuclear fuels. 

Researchers at 91���� demonstrated that an additively manufactured polymer layer, when applied to carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, can serve as an effective protector against aircraft lightning strikes.

Researchers demonstrated that an additively manufactured hot stamping die can withstand up to 25,000 usage cycles, proving that this technique is a viable solution for production.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s 91���� have received five 2019 R&D 100 Awards, increasing the lab’s total to 221 since the award’s inception in 1963.

ORNL and The University of Toledo have entered into a memorandum of understanding for collaborative research.

A team including 91���� and University of Tennessee researchers demonstrated a novel 3D printing approach called Z-pinning that can increase the material’s strength and toughness by more than three and a half times compared to conventional additive manufacturing processes.

Craig Blue, a program director at the Department of Energy’s 91����, has been elected a 2019 fellow for SME (formerly known as the Society for Manufacturing Engineers).

Using additive manufacturing, scientists experimenting with tungsten at 91���� hope to unlock new potential of the high-performance heat-transferring material used to protect components from the plasma inside a fusion reactor. Fusion requires hydrogen isotopes to reach millions of degrees.