NASA and ASTM International, a global standards organization, selected Auburn University for two new partnerships that will spur technological advances in additive manufacturing.

Auburn, expanding upon its existing relationship with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, has formed the National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence. It already has more than 40 industry and government collaborators.

The center, which will be housed within the college, will conduct research on improving the performance of parts that are created using additive manufacturing, share research results with industry and government collaborators and respond to workforce development needs in the additive manufacturing industry.

The center is also part of a new Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, a collaborative effort with ASTM International and the engineering and technology nonprofit EWI. This partnership will direct its efforts to the development of new standards for the additive manufacturing industry, as well as conducting research to advance additive manufacturing technology and workforce development.

Nima Shamsaei, associate professor of mechanical engineering, spearheaded efforts to formalize the National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence and to obtain the ASTM Center of Excellence designation, along with Auburn University co-investigators Tony Overfelt, Scott Thompson, Bart Prorok, Mike Ogles and Steve Taylor.