Additive Manufacturing Lab
NCAME's additive manufacturing lab houses a suite of advanced Laser Powder Bed Fusion machines, including the EOS M290, Renishaw RenAM 500Q, and 3D Systems DMP 350 Flex. There are four EOS M290 at NCAME, two at Auburn University and two at Huntsville, Alabama. These state-of-the-art systems enable the fabrication of complex metal parts with exceptional precision and detail. These machines can process a wide range of materials, providing versatility for diverse applications. The EOS M290 is equipped with EOSTATE MeltPool, and EOSTATE Exposure OT smart monitoring systems, allowing for real-time process control for enhanced part quality.
Mechanical Testing Lab
The NCAME Mechanical Testing Lab is equipped with a comprehensive range of testing machines designed for a wide range of mechanical behavior studies. The lab houses equipment for tensile, uniaxial fatigue, multiaxial fatigue, rotating bending fatigue, and fatigue crack growth testing. In addition to these, some of these machines are equipped with three-point bending apparatus, high-temperature furnaces capable of reaching 1000°C and 1500°C, CTOD gauges, extensometers, high-temperature extensometers, and clevis grips. This extensive range of equipment enables in-depth investigations into material behavior under various loading conditions and environments.
Material Characterization Lab
The NCAME Material Characterization Lab houses state-of-the-art equipment for comprehensive materials analysis. A Zeiss Crossbeam 550 Scanning Electron Microscope with a focused ion beam enables high-resolution imaging, elemental analysis, and crystallographic orientation mapping. The lab also features a ZEISS Xradia 620 Versa X-ray microscope equipped with LabDCT for non-destructive 3D imaging of internal structures and grain mapping. For routine microscopy, a Keyence VHX-6000 Digital Microscope provides high-resolution 2D imaging. This advanced instrumentation suite supports a wide range of materials characterization studies.
Sample Preparation Lab
The NCAME Sample Preparation Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for preparing test specimens and characterization samples. Key instruments include the MTC Automatic Longitudinal Polishing System GR0, EcoMet™ 30 Semi-Automatic Grinder Polisher, and GIGA-1200 Vibratory Polisher. These machines enable precise sample preparation, ensuring optimal conditions for subsequent analysis and testing.
Thermal Characterization Lab
NCAME’s thermal characterization lab houses a variety of equipment’s including Linseis LFA 500 Light Flash Analyzer, Linseis L75 Vertical Push Rod Dilatometer, and Linseis Transient Hot Bridge. These equipment’s can measure the thermal properties such as thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficients, specific heat values, and phase transition points.
Heat Treatment
NCAME’s heat treatment lab is equipped with different furnaces, ovens, and quenching facilities that are necessary for thermal post processing of fabricated parts. This includes programmable muffle and tube furnaces with a wide operating range between 50 °C to 1125 °C. These furnaces are capable of performing a wide range of heat treatment processes including stress-relieving and annealing to alter the properties of fabricated parts.
Machine Shop
The machine shop is equipped with state-of-art machinery including Milltronics SL6-II Slant Bed CNC Turning Center, Kent USA Wsi-430 Wire EDM, Grizzly G9744Z2 Industrial Bandsaw, Grizzly G5963 Industrial Surface Grinder, Pace technology MEGA-M250 Abrasive Saw, Turret Vertical Mill. This enables precise fabrication and machining of a wide range of parts from materials such as Titanium, Inconel, stainless steels, high-strength aluminum etc. The shop is capable of handling a variety of projects from small-batch production to custom fabrication including machining, cutting, milling, and grinding.
Corrosion Lab
NCAME’s corrosion lab is equipped with advanced Gamry 1010E interface for corrosion testing and analysis, including potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The interface consists of standard ParaCell electrochemical Cell Kit for wide range of flat specimens and MultiPortTM Corrosion Cell to run the corrosion test as per the ASTM G5, G59, or G61 standards. The lab focuses on understanding the mechanisms of corrosion, developing corrosion-resistance materials and studying the effects of environmental factors on material’s degradation.