Innovative Processing Techniques for Additive Manufacture of 7000 Series Aluminum Alloy Components

The goal of this STTR Phase I research proposal is to develop a proof of concept for a novel additive manufacturing (AM) process that will be capable of processing 7000 series AM aluminum alloys while minimizing defects, with an eventual goal of Phase II/III project to commercialize the developed technology. To achieve this goal, the technical objectives, the proposed technology includes the following critical steps: 1) using multi-beam energy (MBE) source to deposit aluminum 7000 series; 2) using dynamic beam shaper (DBS) energy source to deposit aluminum 7000 series; 3) using AM process models for MBE and DBS process modeling; and 4) optimizing the design of the MBE/DBS system.