The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was recently honored with the 2018 Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC). ORNL earned recognition for four technologies, three of which were funded by the Advanced Manufacturing Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The FLC is a nationwide network of more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies and research centers committed to developing federal technologies and expertise and facilitating their entrance to the public marketplace. Each year, the FLC Awards Program recognizes federal laboratories and their industry partners for outstanding technology transfer achievements. Since 1984, FLC Awards have been presented to over 200 federal laboratories.

ORNL earned recognition for the following AMO-funded technologies:

Large Area Additive Manufacturing Technologies, co-developed by and licensed to Cincinnati Incorporated and Strangpresse.

The large area additive manufacturing system is capable of 3D printing polymer and composite structures at a scale 10 times larger and 500 times faster than previous state-of-the-art commercial printing systems with less material and energy waste. The system is also the first to utilize plastic pellet feedstock reinforced with carbon fiber, creating stronger and stiffer components.

Aluminum Cerium (ACE) Alloys, co-developed by the Critical Materials Institute, Eck Industries, Ames Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and licensed to Eck Industries.

ACE, which won an R&D 100 Award in 2017, is a family of aluminum cerium superalloys that demonstrates exceptional performance suited for automotive, aerospace and energy applications. ACE improves upon typical aluminum alloys with the addition of cerium, an abundant yet underutilized rare-earth element that increases the mechanical strength and stability of the alloy.

ORNL also received an award for securing four licenses for Low-Cost Carbon Fiber Technology with both large and small businesses.

The award recognizes ORNL’s strategic advancements in carbon fiber manufacturing and the development of the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF), a revolutionary pilot production plant pursued under the DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative. The innovative method refined at the CFTF uses affordable precursor materials and an energy-reducing conversion process to produce exceptionally strong, low density carbon fiber at half the cost.

ORNL’s low-cost carbon fiber technology enables companies to produce high quality carbon fiber for applications in transportations, aerospace, renewable energy, infrastructure and manufacturing.

These AMO partnerships create an innovation ecosystem that accelerates technology development and facilitates the transition of innovative advanced manufacturing technologies to industry. Developing these national capabilities enables future global leadership in advanced manufacturing.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer will present a total of 30 awards to 24 laboratories representing 10 federal agencies. The awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at the FLC National Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

Learn more about these high caliber projects and the impact they are making in the advanced manufacturing industry and beyond.

EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.