Additive manufacturing is a core research area in the AMCODE Lab, with emphasis on aerospace-relevant manufacturing processes, composite materials, robotic deposition, digital process control, repair, and design-for-manufacturing. Our work connects material processing, automation, structural performance, and engineering design to enable practical manufacturing solutions for aerospace and advanced mobility systems.
Research Focus Areas
Continuous Fiber Additive Manufacturing
A major thrust of the lab is the development and characterization of continuous fiber additive manufacturing processes. This work includes multi-axis fused filament fabrication, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic deposition, nozzle and print-head development, process monitoring, and design methods for fiber-steered structures.
Research topics include:
- Multi-axis continuous fiber 3D printing.
- Reinforcement of structures through overprinting.
- Force/torque sensing for in-process monitoring.
- Print-head configuration and fiber tension optimization.
- Material production for continuous carbon fiber printing.
- Design-for-additive-manufacturing methods for aerospace structures.
This work supports the broader goal of manufacturing lightweight, load-bearing composite structures with more efficient material placement and reduced tooling constraints.
Large-Format Additive Manufacturing
The lab also develops large-format additive manufacturing approaches for composite tooling and aerospace fabrication. Current work includes robotic pellet-based extrusion, low-cost tooling materials, and manufacturing workflows for rapid, on-demand tooling.
Representative topics include:
- Robotic large-format additive manufacturing.
- Pellet-based extrusion for composite tooling.
- Low-cost materials for compression molding and aerospace tooling.
- Robot-mounted extrusion systems.
- On-demand tooling for composite structures.
This research is aimed at reducing tooling cost, lead time, and manufacturing barriers for aerospace composite structures.
Additive Manufacturing for Composite Repair
Additive manufacturing is also used as an enabling technology for repair, maintenance, and sustainment of composite structures. The lab investigates automated repair workflows that combine robotic scanning, path planning, polymer deposition, cold spray, and composite patch repair.
Representative topics include:
- Automated scarf repair for composite structures.
- 3D printed tooling for hard-patch repair.
- Automated epoxy extrusion.
- Contact-based tool-path mapping for non-native workpieces.
- Cold spray additive manufacturing for repair.
- Vitrimer patch repair for complex composite surfaces.
This work has direct relevance to advanced air mobility, aircraft maintenance, composite sustainment, and field-deployable repair technologies.
Digital Manufacturing, Monitoring, and Automation
The lab develops sensing, data acquisition, and automation methods for additive and composite manufacturing processes. These efforts include digital twins, intelligent process control, industrial lab networks, machine learning, and real-time monitoring.
Representative topics include:
- Intelligent real-time additive manufacturing digital twins.
- AI-enabled defect evaluation and tracking in thermoplastic automated fiber placement.
- Manufacturing data monitoring.
- Industrial lab network development.
- Programmable logic controllers for additive manufacturing systems.
- Computer vision and quality control.
- Robotic automation for manufacturing and repair.
This area links additive manufacturing to Industry 4.0, cyber-physical manufacturing systems, and closed-loop process control.
Representative Projects
Selected additive manufacturing projects include:
| Project Area | Example Topics |
|---|---|
| Continuous fiber AM | Multi-axis continuous fiber 3D printing, print-head monitoring, fiber tension optimization |
| Large-format AM | Robotic pellet extrusion, low-cost composite tooling, robot-mounted extrusion systems |
| Repair AM | Cold spray repair, automated scarf repair, 3D printed repair tooling, vitrimer patch repair |
| Digital AM | Hybrid digital twins, real-time process monitoring, manufacturing data networks |
| Aerospace AM | CubeSat additive manufacturing concepts, UAV applications, aircraft repair workflows |
Student Research and Training
Additive manufacturing projects provide hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. Students work on mechanical design, robotics, process development, material characterization, sensing, automation, and experimental validation.
Student-led and student-supported projects have included:
- Cold spray additive manufacturing for repair.
- Robotic large-format additive manufacturing for composite tooling.
- Multi-axis large-format additive manufacturing.
- IoT integration of continuous fiber additive manufacturing processes.
- Programmable logic controllers for additive manufacturing.
- Continuous fiber 3D printer upgrades.
- 3D printed tooling.
- Quality control and computer vision for additive manufacturing.
- CubeSat additive manufacturing concepts.
These projects provide students with experience in design-build-test workflows, manufacturing process development, experimental methods, and aerospace applications.
Publications and Technical Outputs
The lab’s additive manufacturing work has produced peer-reviewed journal papers, conference papers, posters, patents, and technical presentations. Topics include:
- Multi-axis fused filament fabrication with continuous fiber reinforcement.
- Build orientation determination for multi-material deposition additive manufacturing.
- Manufacturability analysis for additive manufacturing.
- In-process monitoring using force/torque sensing.
- Robotic large-format additive manufacturing for composite tooling.
- Cold spray on composite substrates and 3D printed polymers.
- Contact-based tool-path mapping for overprinting and repair.
- Automated composite repair using additive manufacturing workflows.
This body of work connects process development with practical aerospace manufacturing and repair applications.
Patents and Intellectual Property
Additive manufacturing research has also contributed to multiple patents and patent applications related to fiber-reinforced 3D printing systems, nozzle assemblies, thermoplastic printing, continuous fiber materials, and composite filament production.
Relevant intellectual property areas include:
- Nozzle assemblies for printing fiber-reinforced parts.
- Systems and methods for printing three-dimensional objects from thermoplastics.
- In-line polymerization for customizable composite fiber manufacture.
- Low-defect composite filament production for additive manufacturing.
- Continuous fiber reinforced printed parts.
These outputs reflect the translational and commercialization potential of the lab’s additive manufacturing research.
Application Domains
The lab’s additive manufacturing work is motivated by aerospace and advanced manufacturing applications, including:
- Composite aircraft structures.
- Urban and advanced air mobility vehicles.
- Aerospace tooling.
- Composite repair and sustainment.
- CubeSat and small satellite systems.
- Structural composites.
- Digital and automated manufacturing systems.
- Workforce development for aerospace manufacturing.
Strategic Direction
The long-term objective is to develop additive manufacturing methods that are structurally relevant, automatable, inspectable, and scalable. Current and future work emphasizes:
- Moving from prototype printing toward reliable manufacturing workflows.
- Integrating sensors, machine learning, and digital twins into additive processes.
- Combining additive manufacturing with composite repair and sustainment.
- Developing low-cost, rapidly deployable aerospace tooling.
- Training students in hands-on advanced manufacturing and aerospace systems.
Through this work, the AMCODE Lab aims to advance additive manufacturing from a prototyping tool toward a robust manufacturing and repair capability for aerospace engineering.