The Smart Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) enables the United States to create higher-performance and more affordable products that advance energy resilience and independence. Many of the SAM platforms at PNNL are rooted in solid-phase processing methods: the use of high strain and shear to shape, modify, or combine materials, manipulating their microstructures in ways not achievable by antiquated manufacturing methods.

The technologies developed through the SAM program have attracted attention from a variety of market segments, including automotive manufacturing, industrial processes, nuclear power, electricity generation, buildings and construction, oil and gas exploration, aerospace, and national security.

The goal of our research and development is to create scalable solutions that just work in the real world outside of the laboratory. PNNL scientists work closely with partners from industry, academia, and other research institutions from across the country and around the globe. We are currently engaged with more than 50 partners in the United States.

Collaborate with us

In collaboration with partners from industry and academia, PNNL seeks to leverage and extend the development of distinctive capabilities in the solid-phase processing of metal alloys and composites as well as the components made of these materials. SAM innovations can do the following:

• Deliver new materials and new products to enable the development of next-generation technologies with extraordinary performance, such as increased conductivity, strength, and ductility.
• Reduce reliance on expensive or critical materials and support lower-cost, more resilient supply chains.
• Create a competitive advantage for U.S. manufacturers that leads to cost reductions for businesses and consumers and the creation of high-quality manufacturing jobs.

License our SAM technologies

PNNL has collaborated with more than 20 companies to explore and validate SAM technologies for a variety of industrial purposes, from the development of absorbable stents for medical applications to light-weighting for transportation.

We invite you to collaborate with our research team, which has over 20 pending and granted patents, and license technologies that this prolific group has developed. Our innovative SAM technologies are available through a variety of exclusive and non-exclusive licensing options. Learn more about partnering with PNNL and how we can work with you to deliver new materials and products that exhibit extraordinary performance at low cost.

Full realization the potential for manufacturing new materials and components requires collaboration across the national laboratories, industry, and academia. Contact us to get the conversation started about a research or commercialization partnership.