Southwest Research Institute has received a two-year, $3.2 million contract from DARPA to predict the structural life of components made with AM. Researchers will update the SwRI-developedDARWIN® software to support this work.
Typical additive manufacturing (AM) systems build parts by incrementally adding metal using advanced computer controls. These processes enable the fabrication of highly complex geometries and allow for parts consolidation, with widespread interest across aerospace, medical, and industrial manufacturing sectors. However, metallic components produced by AM typically exhibit more significant variability than conventionally forged alloys due to the formation of anomalies within the printed material. These inconsistencies have slowed the adoption of AM parts in applications requiring strict quality and performance assurance.
SwRI’s project, known as OPAL or “One Part And Life,” was selected by DARPA’s Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance (SURGE) program. This initiative seeks to challenge conventional AM part qualification practices and to develop new methods to accurately predict the service life of AM components at the individual part level.
“Our key goal is to determine a predictable lifespan for each part produced by an AM machine,” said SwRI Lead Engineer Dr. James Sobotka, who oversees the project. “This approach has never really been attempted before. Currently, we use statistical techniques to predict the minimum lives of these parts based on large datasets. As a result, perfectly good parts are discarded long before wearing out.
“For the first time ever, advanced technology provides an opportunity to monitor manufactured parts and analyze the data effectively,” Sobotka said.
Using sophisticated sensors, the OPAL team will monitor the AM process in real time, collecting thermal, spectral, and related data. These inputs will be used to generate 3D maps of each part’s microstructure and defect distribution. The DARWIN software will then ingest these maps to provide a risk-informed life estimate. DARWIN is a commercial fracture mechanics and reliability assessment software tool used to evaluate metallic structural components in support of damage-tolerant design. The OPAL project will expand DARWIN’s functionality to generate part-specific fatigue life predictions based on defect location, size, and the influence of microstructural features on crack growth behavior.
“With SwRI’s approach, we can more accurately predict lifespan to reduce costs and to extend the life of high-quality parts versus conventional approaches, providing significant benefits to manufacturers,” Sobotka said. “If you have a high-quality part, there’s a good chance you’re utilizing only a fraction of its potential lifespan — perhaps as little as a quarter or even a tenth of its useful life. Statistical certification approaches lack the detailed insights into the manufacturing process that we have now. OPAL represents a big leap into the future.”
About Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Additive Manufacturing:
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) offers additive manufacturing (AM) services that support the end-to-end development of custom packaging and components for electronic and electromechanical systems. These services span concept design, materials selection, and prototype fabrication using layer-by-layer techniques with metals, polymers, and other advanced materials. Capabilities include 3D printing, casting, molding, joining, and shaping for both metal and plastic parts. SwRI’s research portfolio also includes metal AM process development and cement-based 3D printing, with integrated expertise in robotics, materials science, and systems engineering.
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