Combining Dissimilar Materials into Functional Large-scale and Light-weight Components and Structures
– a EU funded project
Hybrid manufacturing methods combine two or more manufacturing techniques, such as additive and subtractive manufacturing, and can be used to produce complex parts with unique properties and features. The EU-funded DISCO2030 project is a research initiative aimed at developing and demonstrating two first-of-a-kind hybrid manufacturing methods that can join dissimilar metal-metal and metal-polymer materials by combining powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition. The project's ultimate goal is to create lightweight, complex-geometry multifunctional devices with graded materials that can operate in harsh environments such as rocket engines, marine engines and cryogenic hydrogen fuel tanks. DISCO2030 will pave the way for new standards for dissimilar material joining and testing, and boost EU leadership in additive manufacturing by developing cost-effective, efficient and flexible manufacturing techniques.