URBANA, Ill. — We’re changing the world. Look no further than Marie Charpagne for proof. The MatSE assistant professor is the latest recipient of the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER, Award for her work in additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, of metallic materials. Her goal is to put additive manufacturing on the map at The Grainger College of Engineering as well as inspire the next generation of engineers.

Leaps and bounds have been made in 3D printing. Researchers are nearly ready to make their dreams become reality, using 3D printers to manufacture buildings, cars, energy generation systems and much more.

But before they can flip that switch, they must iron out one, big problem: How do we make a metallic material perform equally well in all directions, compression and tension?

“When we print a metallic material, we build it layer by layer. At the small-scale all the crystals within this material are oriented pretty much in the same direction. Along that direction the material has exceptional mechanical properties,” Charpagne said. “But along all other directions, it’s not going to be the case. Right now, that means that we cannot use these materials as they are, right after printing.”

“I've come a long way. I had no idea I could do all the things that I've done in my life. It means a lot to me now to reach out to young kids and hopefully inspire them. ”

— Marie Charpagne, MatSE assistant professor

Charpagne’s developing post-processing heat treatments, which involve placing parts in a furnace or locally heating them to transform their structures.

“(We can) transform their small-scale structure, or microstructure, and get new crystals to replace the original ones without changing the shape of the part,” Charpagne said. “By doing so, we can achieve similar properties in all directions.”

Charpagne’s also using her award to make additive manufacturing more attainable for traditionally underrepresented communities by sprinkling hands-on, 3D printing activities in MatSE’s Mid-GLAM (Middle-School Generation Learning About Materials) Camp for seventh through ninth graders.

“I’m one of these people,” Charpagne said. “I’ve come a long way. I had no idea I could do all the things that I’ve done in my life. It means a lot to me now to reach out to young kids and hopefully inspire them.”

She’ll also teach a senior lab course, MSE 404 Alloy Design and Metals Processing, in the spring that explores how the microstructure of metals relates to their macroscale properties, which we can gage and measure.

“Right now, we don’t have any activity on additive manufacturing in this course,” Charpagne said, “and I think that our students, especially undergraduates, would really enjoy experiments that involve this exciting new technique.”

In the future, Charpagne aspires to create a hub for additive manufacturing housed at The Grainger College of Engineering, where students would be able to network and present their research in workshops.

“It’s going to be very valuable to them,” she added. “By the time they graduate, there are going to be lots of job opportunities in this field. It’s important, for me, that they get this crucial exposure to additive manufacturing.”

That alone is why Charpagne’s thrilled to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing and ready the next generation of Grainger Engineers for the ever-changing job market.