National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME)

The National Center of Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME) at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering serves as a transitioning mechanism from fundamental to applied research aligned with the needs of industry.

With more than 20,000 square feet of world-class facilities and state-of-the-art equipment inside the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory, NCAME research specializes in structural integrity, fatigue and fracture, failure analysis, microstructural characterization, laser-material interaction, multi-scale simulations, thermal characterization, data analytics, design, cyber-physical security, standardization, and qualification.

By leveraging unique experimental, analytical, and computational capabilities, the center conducts standard development research into the structural integrity of additive manufacturing parts and supports additive manufacturing workforce development.

Through multidisciplinary research and its influence in powering partnerships with industry, government, academic, and non-profit organizations, NCAME is driving the integration of additive manufacturing and Industry 4.0.

• Established in 2017 through a public-private partnership between Auburn University and NASA.

• Founding partner of the ASTM International AM CoE.

• Co-leads the RAMPT project with NASA to develop analysis capabilities required to implement advanced manufacturing production of large-scale, lightweight, and regeneratively cooled liquid rocket engine components for space exploration.

• Characterized more than 60 materials over a wide range of temperatures and loading conditions through the RAMPT project.

• Funded partners from private industry and government agencies include the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, America Makes, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.

• Home to more than 10 faculty researchers representing cross disciplines of academia.