MELD Manufacturing, a 3D printing technology developer based in Christiansburg, Virginia, has teamed up with Virginia Tech to advance its Additive Friction Stir Deposition technology. Having invented the metal 3D printing process, MELD Manufacturing continues to develop its technology while manufacturing 3D printers based on it. Now, the Yu Research Group from Virginia Tech’s Materials Science and Engineering lab has begun spearheading the study of the technology in an academic capacity. According to Virginia Tech, its research interests include process fundamentals such as temperature, material flow, and distortion, dynamic phase and microstructure evolution, and the design and manufacturing of heterostructured materials. The team also hopes to develop new applications using magnetic materials, metallic glass, and shape-memory materials. Nanci Hardwick, CEO and Founder of MELD Manufacturing, explains, “We have a primary relationship with the Material Science Department. And they’re so critical for us because they have expertise. They have one of… read more