LLNL researchers have developed a novel system that can shape the profile of the laser beam during printing or welding.  The phase engineered approach in beam shaping enables in situ process control of its energy distribution at melt-relevant timescales.

Image Caption: SS 316L L-PBF melt pool engineered with LLNL beam shaping demonstrate control of microstructure grain refinement (…

LLNL researchers has developed a composite copper current collector formulation readily used in DIW 3D printing to guide lithium-ion plating/dissolution during charging and discharging cycles.

This invention, hereby called liquid metal binder jetting (LMBJ), uses a molten metal as the “binder” that is deposited on ceramic powder, resulting in a multi-material fabrication process that includes both the ceramic and metallic phase in the same process.  The simple process involves four steps:

Improving the active material of the Zn anode is critical to improving the practicality of Zn-MnO2 battery technology. LLNL researchers have developed a new category of 3D structured Zn anode using a direct-ink writing (DIW) printing process to create innovative hierarchical architectures.  The DIW ink, which is a gel-based mixture composed of zinc metal powder and organic binders, is…

By combining 3D printing and dealloying., researchers at LLNL have developed a method for fabricating metal foams with engineered hierarchical architectures consisting of pores at least 3 distinct length scales. LLNL’s method uses direct ink writing (DIW), a 3D printing technique for additive manufacturing to fabricate hierarchical nanoporous metal foams with deterministically controlled 3D…