AFRL Contract to Expand Materion R&D on Beryllium Use in 3D Printing

Advanced materials solutions provider Materion announced that it has secured a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to expand its additive manufacturing research and development of beryllium and aluminum-beryllium alloys’ use in 3D printing. 

According to the Mayfield Heights, Ohio-based company, the specialized materials’ advantages extend to the manufacture and performance of optics structures and guidance systems that the defense and aerospace industries need. 

Combining beryllium’s unique properties with additive manufacturing’s efficiency and precision in producing lighter, complex components would optimize the design and increase the capabilities of optical systems, mobility technologies and platforms for space-based connectivity, Materion said Monday.

Materion’s AFRL $5 million contract covers two years and funds the labor, material and operating costs of developing multiple deposition technologies.

The company’s work will extend to related support technologies, such as pre- and post-production equipment.  

Materion’s additive manufacturing laboratory has shown that beryllium is viable in 3D printing, according to Clive Grannum, Materion Performance Materials’ president. He added that the company is looking forward to the next stage of its research and development working with the AFRL.