Elementum 3D

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$750,000 NSF Phase II grant is awarded to Elementum 3D

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Expansion In Metal Additive Manufacturing

Elementum 3D, a metal additive manufacturing materials and parameters development company, is thrilled to announce we were awarded a Phase II SBIR grant of $750,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for nickel superalloy development for AM. The award comes as an initiative for the NSF aimed at optimizing the use of additive manufacturing and nanotechnology. The grant will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of high application temperature nickel superalloy metal matrix composite (superalloy-MMC) feedstock and processing parameters for additive manufacturing.

In Phase I we were able to demonstrate the feasibility of applying our innovative reactive additive manufacturing (RAM) process towards the fabrication of complex nickel superalloy-MMC parts. Importantly, the work found that the RAM process can be used to overcome the obstacles typically faced during development of materials in a laser powder bed fusion 3D printer, such as the ability to print parts with improved microstructures free of microcracking and reduced microporosity. The formation of the reinforcing ceramic particulates resulted in parts that were significantly harder than the base alloys printed without the ceramic particulates which is indicative that the MMC material will have improved strength compared to the base superalloys. In addition, the high thermodynamic stability and high melting temperature of the reinforcing ceramic lends itself to improved high temperature performance compared to the base alloys.

Our Phase II goal with our continued research and development of high temperature nickel superalloy-MMCs for additive manufacturing is to generate baseline material property data relevant to high temperature turbine components and reduce customer risk so turbine manufacturers can justify internal qualification and life testing of the material for applications operating at temperatures above 800˚C.

About America’s Seed Fund
America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards nearly $190 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $1.5 million in non-dilutive funds to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $7.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.

About Elementum 3D
Erie, CO-based Elementum 3D was founded by Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein in 2014. With a team that has 30 years of collective experience working in powder metallurgy, Elementum 3D’s goal is to significantly expand the metal additive manufacturing materials market by introducing advanced metals, composites, and ceramics. Find them on the web at elementum3d.com.

Jamie Perozzi

VP of Technology 6K Additive

Mr. Perozzi has 20+ years of specialty metals experience with a focus on process, new product development, product management, and application engineering. Before joining 6K, Perozzi spent seven years at AMETEK Specialty Metal Products responsible for quality and process engineering. Prior to Ametek, he spent 10 years at Hitachi Metals – Metglas and 3 years at J&L Specialty Steel. Perozzi holds a BS Metallurgical Engineering degree from Penn State University.

Dr. Timothy Smith

Materials Research Engineer NASA Glenn Research Center

Tim Smith graduated with a PhD in materials science and engineering from Ohio State University in 2016. After graduating, his pathways internship at NASA Glenn research center became a full-time position. His research focuses on high temperature alloy development and characterization. He has contributed to 29 peer-reviewed publications including journals in Nature Communications and Nature Communications Materials. His research has also produced 10 new technology reports and 3 utility patents. He recently received both the Early Career Achievement Medal in 2020 and the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2022.

Dr. Douglas Hoffman

Senior Research Scientist (SRS)/ Principal Section Technologist NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Dr. Douglas Hofmann is a Senior Research Scientist and Principal at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he serves as the Section Technologist for the Mechanical Fabrication and Test Section. He is also a Lecturer and Visiting Associate at Caltech in the Applied Physics and Materials Science Department. Dr. Hofmann founded JPL’s Metallurgy Facility in 2010, was a charter member of the Materials Development and Manufacturing Technology Group, and helped establish the JPL Additive Manufacturing Center. He is the Principal Investigator of the NASA FAMIS Flight Experiment and was a 2012 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Obama. He has spent more than 12 years working in metal additive manufacturing and has over 30 granted patents and over 60 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein

President/Founder Elementum 3D

Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein is the founder and president of Elementum 3D in Erie, CO. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy at the Colorado School of Mines. Jacob has been researching, teaching, or consulting on topics such as casting and powder metallurgy for the last 14 years. Elementum 3D’s work with powder bed laser additive manufacturing is based on these principles. In addition, is thesis work in thermodynamics and formation kinetics of metal matrix composites is directly related to all 3D printing processes.