Facilities

Smart Hybrid Machine Tool: Instrumented Optomec LENS MTS 500 Hybrid 3D Printer for Synthesis Cell

The LENS technology allows precise control of component composition through a multipowder delivery system where the feed rate of elemental or pre-alloyed powders can be individually controlled, thereby allowing us to optimize the materials properties of produced functionally graded parts. It is integrated with multiple sensors, including AE (Physical Acoustics WSA wide band sensor), accelerometer (K-Shear 8728A500) and a tri-axis dynamometer (CNIC Electric Co. MFS15050 with IP67 rated protection), along with a high-speed camera and thermal imaging system. The online metrology and closed-loop process control modules enable us to perform in situ process monitoring and control experiments and analyses because it allows us to have precise control over the materials deposition rate and process planning parameters based on the desired material properties and part geometry. The modular architecture of the Optomec Print engine also allows users rapid integration with other metal working platforms such as CNC milling machines, lathes, robots, laser cutting and welding systems to create a hybrid manufacturing system. The machine is integrated with a CAD/CAM software interface, with Python scripts developed to sequentially print components across multiple batches employing the controller’s various interfaces.

ZEISS EVO MA10

Apart from scanning electron microscope imaging capability, this instrument includes energy dispersive spectroscopy to acquire spatially resolved elemental chemistry information.

ZYGO Zegage Optical Profiler

ZeGage ™ profilers with patented SureScan ™ technology deliver high-resolution 3D surface metrology in seconds on the shop floor. Non-contact surface texture measurements mean no consumables and rapid payback to control processes with correlation to 2D and 3D standards (ISO 25178) and complete gage-capability.

Buehler Ecomet 300 (Grinder-Polisher)

The goal of grinding and polishing steps is to prepare a final polished specimen that is free of deformation and suitable for analysis. This can be achieved in multiple ways, depending on the overall goals of the lab—whether a lab is looking for the quickest overall process, the best surface finish or versatility to prepare many different materials. The bench top planar grinding machine uses a 5.7Hp motor to achieve an aggressive material removal rate comparable to those in more expensive floor model machines. The machine features include an integrated auto wheel dressing, compact interlocking safety cover; furthermore, built-in cooling makes it easy to get consistent results with this planar grinder. This machine has supported multiple research and development efforts including National Science Foundation projects in chemical mechanical planarization and Department of Energy efforts in smart manufacturing.

Hysitron TriboIndenter TI-950

The Hysitron TriboIndenter TI-950 nanoindenter from Bruker is an automated, high throughput instrument designed to support several nanomechanical and nanotribological characterization methods. This robust equipment integrates an advanced control module, which offers high-precisions for feedback-regulated nanomechanical testing. This instrument is integrated with heterogeneous sensors and imaging instruments to enable fast property estimation as well as real-time monitoring of the indentation process.

Rheometer

A rheometer is an experimental setup where the flow properties of a fluid is examined by inducing flow in the fluid and studying the forces developed by the fluid at a certain flow rate. The parallel plate rheometer has been developed by Dr. Naveen Thomas under the direction of Drs. Arun Srinivasa (chair) and Satish Bukkapatnam by modifying an orthogonal rheometer to be run in the torsional mode. This orthogonal rheometer was provided by Dr. Kumbakonam Rajagopal for conducting studies on polishing media.

Bruker MultiMode 8 AFM

Apart from atomic force microscope imaging, this instrument contains force and thermal analyzers.

Laser Kirigami

The laser origami setup is equipped with an 4-axis robotic arm that could place the workpiece (i.e., sheet precursors attached with fiducial markers) in the laser machine coordinates (with displacement precision∼0.2mm), in addition to a multiple digital camera setup for monitoring the surface morphing, and a CO2 laser source with 10.6μm wavelength and power up to 100 watts.

Materials Development and Characterization Center

The Texas A&M University Materials Development and Characterization Center houses the fabrication and characterization instrumentations required for fundamental science research as well as applications as new materials and devices. The center interacts multi users such as departments in the Texas A&M University community, the U.S. national labs, U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, and commercial companies for research and development.

Materials Characterization Facility

The Materials Characterization Facility provides researchers in the Texas A&M University community with access to high-end instrumentation essential for fundamental studies of the surface and interfacial properties of materials, such as ion- and electron-based spectroscopies, as well as electron, optical and scanning probe microscopies.

Microscopy and Imaging Center

The Microscopy and Imaging Center is a core user facility supported by the Texas A&M University Office of the Vice President for Research. It provides current and emerging technologies for teaching and research involving microscopy and imaging, training and support services for microscopy, sample preparation, in situ elemental/molecular analyses, and digital image analysis and processing.

X-ray Diffraction Facility

The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory is a full-service x-ray diffraction laboratory offering state-of-the-art instrumentation for the analysis of solid materials. It provides x-ray diffraction analysis to The Texas A&M University System and educates students in the science of crystallography. The laboratory’s main focus is to determine molecular structure from single-crystal samples and to perform high-resolution x-ray powder diffraction.

Texas A&M University Advanced Manufacturing Facilities

Materials Characterization Facility

The Materials Characterization Facility is an additional clean room facility that houses various instruments For clean room imaging (FE-SEM, FIB-SEM with EDS) and surface analysis (XPS/UPS, Multimode AFM, Icon AFM) that can be used as part of research with specified user fee structure.

AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility

The AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility has state-of-the-art equipment for a wide range of micro- and nano-scale fabrication of diverse materials. In addition, the facility acquired $5 million of new nanopatterning and deposition equipment through a donation from the Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

SuSu and Mark A. Fischer ’72 Engineering Design Center

The SuSu and Mark A. Fischer ’72 Engineering Design Center is an exclusive academic makerspace and design center that focuses on learning, designing and building. Through partnerships with industry and non-profit sponsors, the center is an environment where concepts become solutions to real-world problems, and student teams come together to build new prototypes, acquire new skills and develop new relationships.

Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution Additive Manufacturing Labs

The Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) lab is equipped to generate 3D models, render machine build-code, manufacture metal AM parts and recycle metal powder. The technology in use is selective laser melting, where fine metal particles are melted and re-solidified together layer by layer. This process opens new opportunities for research and production of novel designs.

Rapid Prototyping Studio

The J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Rapid Prototyping Studio operates printers of two methods of additive manufacturing. The department possesses printers of the fused deposition modeling (FDM) type and one of the stereolithography (SLA) type. FDM printers utilize a “hot glue gun” extrusion style, heating a plastic filament and forcing it through an extruder mounted on a cartesian robot, which directs where the filament is deposited. SLA is an additive manufacturing process that works by focusing an ultraviolet laser onto a vat of photopolymer resin.

MSEN materials processing and manufacturing labs

Computing Infrastructure

Institute for Scientific Computation

The Institute for Scientific Computation (ISC) is a multidisciplinary research center devoted to designing, analyzing and implementing innovative computational tools that advance scientific engineering research and education. ISC researchers include internationally recognized Texas A&M University faculty members devoted to collaborating on major national and global research efforts with other universities, industrial partners and the government. The ISC also serves as an excellent training ground for students—both graduate and undergraduate—and postdoctoral scholars in a variety of academic disciplines within scientific computing technologies.

Texas Advanced Computer Center

The Texas Advanced Computing Center designs and operates some of the world’s most powerful computing resources. The center’s mission is to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. Through this center, Texas A&M University faculty have access to multiple supercomputers.

Texas A&M High Performance Research Computing

Texas A&M High Performance Research Computing (HPRC) enables research and discoveries that advance sciences and technologies. HPRC deploys and operates advanced computing and data resources to enable computational and data-enabled research activities of students, faculty and staff at Texas A&M University. HPRC also provides consulting, technical documentation and training to support users of these resources.

Texas A&M University Institute for Data Science

The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) is a joint undertaking of Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. It serves and fosters collaborations across The Texas A&M University System. TAMIDS is an inclusive umbrella organization for data science and facilitates interactions between researchers in diverse application areas and those with expertise in core methodologies. It also promotes education in data science across the university and pursues outreach to commercial and governmental organizations in the wider data science ecosystem.