| Abstract Scope |
The evolution of the additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) process continues to be led by MELD Manufacturing Corporation along with the unprecedented support and collaboration from a truly diverse community of users, technologists, and visionaries. As the inventors and pioneers of AFSD, MELD Manufacturing Corporation began with a vision of what they knew to be a revolutionary technology and has since been committed to the industrialization of the technology, launching it from the laboratory to the global manufacturing stage.
The earliest days of the technology’s development began with a concept to improve upon friction stir welding. This idea was quickly expanded to include multiple modalities, with perhaps the most compelling of them being a novel application for additive manufacturing. The vision would be to use this technology to address what the team saw as the short comings of other metal additive technologies being used by industry: speed, quality, and scale.
With the idea in hand the team set out to build the world’s first AFSD machine. This machine known as R2 would go on to serve as the proving ground for a variety of applications. This presentation will provide an overview of this development and growth along with challenges and opportunities the team has encountered, ranging from fundamental materials science questions to international growth strategies, and even the concept of how we as a community can use this technology to manufacture parts in space and beyond! |