MOST-AM Consortium Returns for Thirteenth Semiannual Meeting

The United States submarine industrial base produces an average of 1.2 Virginia-class submarines a year – two short of the Navy’s stated goal. 

There are many reasons for this shortfall, but the Navy – among many other entities – is turning toward using additive manufacturing for parts to accelerate production. Though promising, there’s still uncertainties about the performance of additively manufactured materials, especially in extreme environments like high temperature or in corrosive environments like seawater. 

Leading researchers, industry partners, and government agencies and laboratories gathered at the University of Pittsburgh for its thirteenth semi-annual Modeling & Optimization Simulation Tools for Additive Manufacturing (MOST-AM) Consortium to collaborate, present ideas and research progress, and discuss promising materials and their uses in additive manufacturing. 

“This is an exciting time for additive manufacturing,” said Sanjeev Shroff, interim U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering at Pitt, during his opening remarks. “The technology continues to find more applications across aerospace, defense, energy and transportation industries. The market is growing at 25 percent annually and is projected to cross 100 billion dollars by 2030.” 

Albert To, Director of the MOST-AM Consortium and William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, said the MOST-AM Consortium is a very “modern” conference, considering that research into additively manufactured materials in aggressive environments remains relatively limited. He partnered with Zachary Harris, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, whose research is centered on materials for extreme environments to recruit the top members in the field, both from industry and academia, for the consortium. 

“People are really excited about additive manufacturing,” Harris said. “However, there are still a lot of logistical components that we need to work through before use in varying sectors. The MOST-AM Consortium provides that opportunity.” 

The MOST-AM Consortium is a public-private partnership aimed at developing the most advanced modeling and simulation tools for additive manufacturing. To achieve its goals, the consortium leverages membership fees, the talent of Pitt’s faculty, and Consortium members, and research projects at Pitt funded by government agencies such as Army, Navy, NASA, and others.