AM4Life – Additive manufacturing for advanced materials and future applications

AM4Life is a national research initiative in additive manufacturing in which Mid Sweden University participates. Within the project, PhD student Mohadeseh Ghorbani studies how challenging materials such as tungsten can be manufactured using powder bed fusion.

Woman in a white lab coat and blue gloves in a lab.

AM4Life is a large research initiative focused on advancing additive manufacturing technologies for demanding applications in areas such as medical technology and advanced materials. The project is hosted by Uppsala universitya and brings together universities, research institutes, and industrial partners to strengthen knowledge and innovation in metal additive manufacturing.

At Mid Sweden University, the additive manufacturing research group contributes to the project through several research activities related to materials development and process understanding. One part of this work is carried out within the PhD project conducted by Mohadeseh Ghorbani.

Her research focuses on developing methods for manufacturing tungsten using powder bed fusion, an additive manufacturing technique in which metal powder is melted layer by layer to create complex components. Tungsten is a material with an extremely high melting point and excellent properties for demanding environments, but it is also difficult to manufacture using conventional methods.

An important aspect of the research is the development of processing strategies for thin-walled tungsten components. Particular attention is given to technical collimators and other precision components for life sciences applications, where the high density and radiation shielding properties of tungsten are highly valuable.

The work involves developing and optimizing process parameters to enable the manufacturing of components with high material quality and controlled microstructures. The research includes experimental work in laboratory environments, analysis of process data, and characterization of the produced materials.

Through this work, the project contributes to increased understanding of how advanced materials can be manufactured using additive manufacturing. The results may enable new applications in areas such as energy systems, medical technology, and other industries where materials with extreme properties are required.