Benzinga | Jan 25, 2022 08:37AM EST

Sigma Labs Says Co's PrintRite3D Selected By Auburn University To Support Several Additive Manufacturing Projects

Sigma Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGLB) ("Sigma Labs"), a leading developer of quality assurance software to the commercial 3D printing industry, today announced that its PrintRite3D(r) in-process quality assurance solution has been purchased by Auburn University, based in Auburn, Alabama. The PrintRite3D solution will be installed on the university's EOS M290 machine and is the start of an academic and industrial collaboration between the university and Sigma Labs. Sigma Labs will deploy its system under a commercial lease/purchase program that provides more flexible and acceptable terms for academic institutions and early adopters.

PrintRite3D will be implemented to support several projects at the Auburn University National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME) to utilize 3D printed (additively manufactured) components to improve commercial air and space travel. As reported by the Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, NCAME is funded by a $3 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The objective is to address issues related to the variability in additive manufacturing machines, as well as generate an understanding of how microscopic anomalies in the 3D-printed metals affect overall fatigue and fracture properties.

"This is what I call the 'Achilles' heel' of additive manufacturing," said NCAME director Nima Shamsaei, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "Such variations make the qualification and certification of AM materials and parts challenging. We intend to use PrintRite3D to detect anomalies during fabrication and relate them to the variations in mechanical performance of 3D-printed parts."

According to Mark Ruport, President and CEO of Sigma Labs, "We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Auburn University, and especially the opportunity to participate with the exciting partnership between NCAME, NASA, the FAA, and Auburn. These great organizations are working hard to find methods to utilize 3D printed parts to support aviation and space industries. In close coordination with the NCAME, we are also supporting the efforts of the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, with the objective of closing AM standards and workforce gaps."