Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is offially opening the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory (AML), a state-of-the-art collaborative facility situated in the recently expanded Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC).
The $10 million, 14,000-square-foot AML is designed to merge LLNL’s science and engineering expertise with academia and industry, creating public-private partnerships that address manufacturing challenges. Through some of the world’s most sophisticated advanced and additive manufacturing (3D printing) equipment, LLNL’s developments in unique materials, lasers and optics, new manufacturing processes and access to the Lab’s unparalleled high-performance computing (HPC) modeling and simulation capabilities, the AML will help LLNL’s private sector collaborators accelerate innovation and reduce production costs and time, while at the same time positively impacting mission-relevant projects in the energy sector, national security and other applications.
The AML, which currently hosts eight industry partners, features a large 5,000-square-foot wet lab for new process development, 3D printing, materials research, chemical work and other activities. A 5,000-square-foot instrument lab contains industrial-sized manufacturing machines, as well as leading-edge metal 3D-printing research systems and nanomanufacturing capabilities. Bisecting the two labs is a viewing corridor allowing visitors to observe ongoing research. The AML also houses a conference room and shared work areas to stimulate collaborative engagement
