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Engineering
Lab scientists successfully print glass optics
For the first time, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have successfully 3D-printed optical-quality glasses, on par with commercial glass products currently available on the market. In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, LLNL scientists and engineers describe successfully printing small test pieces from Lab-developed…
Learning to fly: Lab-sponsored drone competition engages Cal Poly students
The drones whizzed, hovered and soared, racing around a circular "track" and dropping ball-bearings on tarpaulin targets from high above. Four teams, comprised of engineering students from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo were going head-to-head in a Lawrence Livermore National Lab-sponsored Design Challenge, putting their custom-built drones to the test with scholarships, awards…
Laboratory researchers join their AI-enabled counterparts for 'collaborative autonomy'
A team of firefighters clears a building in a blazing inferno, searching rooms for people trapped inside or hotspots that must be extinguished. Except this isn’t your typical crew. Most apparent is the fact that the firefighters aren’t all human. They’re working side-by-side with artificially intelligent (AI) robots who are searching the most dangerous rooms, and making…
DOE's HPC4Manufacturing program seeks industry proposals for energy advances
The Department of Energy (DOE) on Feb. 1 announced up to $3 million will be available to U.S. manufacturers for public/private projects aimed at applying high performance computing to industry challenges for the advancement of energy innovation. The funding represents the latest round of solicitations for the High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program,…
Lab unlocks secrets of nanoscale 3D printing
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have discovered novel ways to extend the capabilities of two-photon lithography (TPL), a high-resolution 3D printing technique capable of producing nanoscale features smaller than one-hundredth the width of a human hair. The findings, recently published on the cover of the journal ACS Applied Materials &…
LLNL-developed microelectrodes enable automated sorting of neural signals
Thin-film microelectrode arrays produced at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have enabled development of an automated system to sort brain activity by individual neurons, a technology that could open the door to recording and analyzing unprecedented amounts of neural signals over time, and, ultimately, provide scientists with new clues about how the brain…
Volumetric 3D printing builds on need for speed
While additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, is enabling engineers and scientists to build parts in configurations and designs never before possible, the impact of the technology has been limited by layer-based printing methods, which can take up to hours or days to build three-dimensional parts, depending on their complexity. However, by using laser…
Lab researchers achieve breakthrough in 3D printed marine grade stainless steel
"Marine grade" stainless steel is valued for its performance under corrosive environments and for its high ductility -- the ability to bend without breaking under stress -- making it a preferred choice for oil pipelines, welding, kitchen utensils, chemical equipment, medical implants, engine parts and nuclear waste storage. However, conventional techniques for…
LLNL project aims to transform electrical grid resiliency with distributed energy resources
In the event of a major earthquake, hurricane or flood, electricity might be lost for days, affecting communications, recovery efforts and people’s lives. Normally, in a large-scale emergency, distributed energy resources (DERs) -- such as the energy produced by solar panels at customers’ homes -- are shut off to protect the greater electrical grid. But a new project…
Lab researchers achieve '4D printed' material
For the first time, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have successfully 3D printed composite silicone materials that are flexible, stretchable and possess shape memory behavior, a discovery that could be used to create form-fitting cushioning activated by body heat, such as in a helmet or shoe. As described in their paper published online by…
LLNL finds reason behind defects in 3D printing
High-speed images of a common laser-based metal 3D printing process, coupled with newly updated computer models, have revealed the mechanisms behind material redistribution, a phenomenon that leads to defects in printed metal parts, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers reported. In a study published by Scientific Reports, LLNL scientists combined…
Lab loans state-of-the-art 3D printer to Cal Poly
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) San Luis Obispo engineering students now have access to the state-of-the-art in metal additive manufacturing and the ability to perform contracted work for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), thanks to a new Selective Laser Melting (SLM) machine on loan to the university. LLNL purchased the SLM machine and is…
NIF technology could revolutionize 3D printing
A technology originally developed to smooth out and pattern high-powered laser beams for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) can be used to 3D print metal objects faster than ever before, according to a new study by Lawrence Livermore researchers. A team of Lab scientists report the findings in the latest issue of Optics Express, published online on May 15. This new…
LLNL and LBNL researchers explore more energy-efficient solutions for paper industry
If you had to name the industries in the United States that use the most energy, paper manufacturing probably wouldn’t immediately come to mind. In fact, the paper-making industry ranks third among the country’s largest energy users, behind only petroleum-refining and chemical production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Researchers at Lawrence…
Lawrence Livermore unveils 'heart-on-a-chip'
Prescription drugs have enabled millions of Americans with chronic medical conditions to live longer and more fulfilling lives, but many promising new drugs never make it to the human trials stage due to the potential for cardiac toxicity. Through "heart-on-a-chip" technology — modeling a human heart on an engineered chip and measuring the effects of compound exposure on…
DOE HPC4Mfg Program funds 13 new projects to improve energy technologies through HPC
A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program designed to spur the use of high performance supercomputers to advance U.S. manufacturing is funding 13 new industry projects for a total of $3.9 million. The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program unites the world-class computing resources and expertise of the national laboratories with U.S. manufacturers…
Lab developed aerodynamic devices improve tractor trailer fuel efficiency
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers, as part of a Navistar SuperTruck I team, helped design a new type of tractor-trailer truck that significantly improves fuel economy. The new SuperTruck vehicle achieved 13 mpg on public roads and a 104 percent freight efficiency improvement. Forty-eight percent of this improvement comes from aerodynamic…
Lab breakthrough in 3D printing of glass
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and academic collaborators have demonstrated the synthesis of transparent glass through 3D printing, a development that could ultimately lead to altering the design and structure of lasers and other devices that incorporate optics. A team of LLNL researchers, along with scientists from the University of Minnesota and…
Experiments validate models predicting failure modes in miniaturized lightweight structures
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have adapted theoretical models to predict the failure behavior of miniaturized 3D lattice structures and have used advanced characterization techniques to demonstrate that these failures exist. Specifically, experiments showed a transition in failure modes for stretch-dominated lattice structures at low relative…
McCallen recognized by Chico State University
It’s been more than three decades since Rose McCallen graduated from California State University, Chico, but in the intervening years she hasn’t forgotten her alma mater. And just the other day, the university remembered – and honored – her. McCallen, who graduated from Chico State in 1980 with a bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering, has been named a 2017…
