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Engineering Laboratory

AMMT

Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT)

The Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed is a fully custom, open-platform laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system developed by NIST to advance research in monitoring, control, and metrology for metal additive manufacturing (AM).

AMMT is the first AM system capable of continuous variation of laser power and speed, enabled by NIST-developed pointwise AM control technology. It is currently equipped with a dual-laser system, with each laser providing up to 1000 watts of power, and can fabricate full-size industrial parts up to 100 mm × 200 mm × 300 mm (W × L × H). The system also includes built-in features for system calibration, process monitoring, and real-time feedback control.

AMMT Research Goals:

Build an open-platform LPBF testbed instrumented for fundamental process study, optimization, and optical metrology
Research the measurement science of various monitoring and control methods for assessing and improving AM build quality
Advance open, adaptive control strategies by developing best practices, enabling complex scan strategy optimization, and supporting improved process models and simulations
Design and integrate precision measurement systems to overcome limitations in current industrial AM platforms and enable higher-quality, more consistent, and reliable part fabrication
Establish advanced calibration infrastructure and develop robust process monitoring capabilities to generate high-quality AM reference data and support AM data and measurement standardization
Investigate emerging AM technologies—such as microstructure control, functionally graded materials, and in-situ alloying—enabled by novel AM control techniques

NISTs 3D Printer Testbed — The NIST Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed is a fully custom, open-platform laser powder bed fusion (LBPF) system to advance monitoring, controls, and metrology research. In addition to research specific to AM, the system employs a suite radiometric calibration and measurement instruments that enable the Temperature and Emittance of Melts, Powders, and Solids (TEMPS).

AMMT System Overview (click on title for high-res images in pdf)

AMMT Background and Research Goals	Mechanical and Optical System Design	TEMPS Background and Research Goals	AMMT Control Design
			Credit: NIST

Simple Additive Manufacturing Software

The AMMT build file is generated using the Simple Additive Manufacturing (SAM) software developed by NIST. SAM translates computer aided design (CAD) files (e.g., in STL format) or layer files (e.g., in CLI format) into time-stepped digital commands that control the AMMT system. It enables pointwise control through continuous variation of laser power and scan speed and supports advanced path planning and synchronized dual-laser operation.

Example Capabilities

Fully custom laser scanner control, with laser power and position updated every 10 µs
High-speed melt pool imaging at 20,000 frames per second with real-time data streaming for monitoring large 3D metal AM builds
Surface profile measurement using a laser profiler before and after each layer
Fully synchronized process monitoring data aligned with build commands (laser position and power)
Real-time control enabled by feedback from melt pool monitoring or powder layer thickness measurements
Synchronized dual-laser control to produce tailored thermal conditions during builds
Supports complex, model-based scan strategy optimizations

Awards

2021 DOC Gold Medal Award – Recognized for developing the Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT), a unique research platform enabling world-class measurements of complex physical phenomena in metal additive manufacturing (AM).
2024 DOC Gold Medal Award – recognized for creating novel solutions to enhance control and performance in industrial AM systems, addressing the limitations of flexibility and adaptability in current machines.

History

The AMMT was launched as a collaborative project by the NIST Engineering Laboratory (EL) and the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML), aimed at advancing shared metrology goals for traceable, multi-spectral radiometric measurements of laser-heated materials. In addition to supporting additive manufacturing research, the system integrated a suite of radiometric calibration and measurement instruments that enabled capabilities for Temperature and Emittance of Melts, Powders, and Solids (TEMPS). While the TEMPS capabilities previously developed remain available on the AMMT, ongoing TEMPS development has since evolved into a dedicated new platform—the Fundamentals of Laser-Matter Interaction (FLaMI) Testbed.

Collaboration

NIST is open to collaborations on projects that can make use of the special capabilities of the AMMT. Unofficial collaborations are preferred, with topics that fall under the research goals of the AMMT and the Measurement Science for Additive Manufacturing Program, and any results can be made public and co-published by NIST. Official collaborations can be conducted through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

Want to work with the AMMT? Various opportunities exist for guest researchers, post-doctoral researcher associates, or for Ph.D. students through the NIST Pathways internship program.

NIST Staff