![Sphere that has the top right fourth removed (exposed) Colors from left are orange, dark blue with orange dots, light blue with horizontal lines, then black. Inside the exposure is green and black with boxes.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_square_large/public/2024-06/slicer.jpg?h=56311bf6&itok=bCZz09pJ)
Filter News
Area of Research
News Type
News Topics
- (-) 3-D Printing/Advanced Manufacturing (69)
- Advanced Reactors (21)
- Artificial Intelligence (59)
- Big Data (39)
- Bioenergy (67)
- Biology (77)
- Biomedical (39)
- Biotechnology (14)
- Buildings (38)
- Chemical Sciences (34)
- Clean Water (27)
- Climate Change (71)
- Composites (15)
- Computer Science (122)
- Coronavirus (28)
- Critical Materials (14)
- Cybersecurity (17)
- Decarbonization (55)
- Education (1)
- Emergency (2)
- Energy Storage (60)
- Environment (146)
- Exascale Computing (26)
- Fossil Energy (5)
- Frontier (25)
- Fusion (39)
- Grid (43)
- High-Performance Computing (54)
- Hydropower (11)
- Irradiation (2)
- Isotopes (32)
- ITER (5)
- Machine Learning (33)
- Materials (78)
- Materials Science (79)
- Mathematics (8)
- Mercury (10)
- Microelectronics (2)
- Microscopy (31)
- Molten Salt (6)
- Nanotechnology (28)
- National Security (38)
- Net Zero (10)
- Neutron Science (74)
- Nuclear Energy (73)
- Partnerships (17)
- Physics (32)
- Polymers (17)
- Quantum Computing (24)
- Quantum Science (40)
- Renewable Energy (1)
- Security (12)
- Simulation (37)
- Software (1)
- Space Exploration (22)
- Statistics (2)
- Summit (36)
- Sustainable Energy (89)
- Transformational Challenge Reactor (3)
- Transportation (62)
Media Contacts
![At the U.S. Department of Energy Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, this part for a scaled-down prototype of a reactor was produced for industry partner Kairos Power.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2020-05/Kairos%20PI%201_0.jpg?h=71976bb4&itok=EYVPB9H3)
Scientists at the Department of Energy Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL have their eyes on the prize: the Transformational Challenge Reactor, or TCR, a microreactor built using 3D printing and other new approaches that will be up and running by 2023.
![Researchers at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL developed a reusable face mask prototype with injection molding that will enable industry to rapidly manufacture. Credit: Carlos Jones/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2020-05/2020-P03026_0.jpg?h=5d08f34f&itok=CbBMXqMW)
In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a race against the clock not only to find a vaccine but also to supply healthcare workers with life-saving equipment such as face shields, masks and test kits.
![Coronavirus graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2020-04/covid19_jh_0.png?h=d1cb525d&itok=PyngFUZw)
In the race to identify solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are joining the fight by applying expertise in computational science, advanced manufacturing, data science and neutron science.
![ORNL scientists are combining their expertise in environmental science, physics, sensors and additive manufacturing to create model fish for use in testing of hydropower turbine designs. The project supports healthy ecosystems and hydropower—the nation’s largest renewable energy resource. Photo credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2020-03/2019-P16416.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=7rGorkvo)
Hydropower developers must consider many factors when it comes time to license a new project or renew an existing one: How can environmental impacts be mitigated, including to fish populations?
![Peter Wang](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2020-01/2019-P18026_0.jpg?h=8f9cfe54&itok=_gPTJOy-)
Peter Wang is focused on robotics and automation at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, working on high-profile projects such as the MedUSA, a large-scale hybrid additive manufacturing machine.
![Lightning strike test](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-11/Lightning%20strike%20test%201_0.jpg?h=a0f1f295&itok=8VkHQnUH)
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrated that an additively manufactured polymer layer, when applied to carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, can serve as an effective protector against aircraft lightning strikes.
![Shown here is a computer-aided design of the hot stamping die with visible cooling channels. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-11/Built-to-last.png?h=a86e7ddf&itok=3DoSQK7P)
Researchers demonstrated that an additively manufactured hot stamping die can withstand up to 25,000 usage cycles, proving that this technique is a viable solution for production.
![Layering on the strength](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-09/Z-pinning-printed%20wall_ORNL-2_0.png?h=c8a62123&itok=EnqQdQih)
A team including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee researchers demonstrated a novel 3D printing approach called Z-pinning that can increase the material’s strength and toughness by more than three and a half times compared to conventional additive manufacturing processes.
![Tungsten tiles for fusion](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-07/EBM-tungsten_tiles_ORNL.png?h=0c890573&itok=XgIsl0tA)
Using additive manufacturing, scientists experimenting with tungsten at Oak Ridge National Laboratory hope to unlock new potential of the high-performance heat-transferring material used to protect components from the plasma inside a fusion reactor. Fusion requires hydrogen isotopes to reach millions of degrees.
![The core of a wind turbine blade by XZERES Corporation was produced at the MDF using Cincinnati Incorporated equipment for large-scale 3D printing with foam.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-06/image%201_2019-P01384_0.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=ohbWG8Xd)
In the shifting landscape of global manufacturing, American ingenuity is once again giving U.S companies an edge with radical productivity improvements as a result of advanced materials and robotic systems developed at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.