Credit: Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryWith the ability to print metal structures with complex shapes and unique mechanical properties, metal additive manufacturing (AM) could be revolutionary. Researchers in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)'s nondestructive evaluation (NDE) group are tackling this challenge by developing first-of-their-kind approaches to look at how materials and structures evolve inside a metal AM structure during printing. These NDE techniques can become enabling technologies for metal AM, giving manufacturers the data they need to develop better simulations, processing parameters and predictive controls to ensure part quality and consistency. Most metal AM techniques use heat to bind material together, and since metals are extremely sensitive to heat, structures can change a lot during printing. "A lot of things happen in these AM processes that affect the part, but without using NDE techniques, it's kind of a black box," said Rosenberg.