New 3D-Printing and Manufacturing Techniques Grant More Control Over Energetic Material Behavior

A newly developed tool could enable more control over how energetic materials function throughout manufacturing processes.

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Much like baking the perfect cake involve s following a list of ingredients and instructions, manufacturing energetic materials - explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants - requires precise formulations, conditions and procedures to ensure they are safe and perform as intended.

Because any small tweaks or environmental changes can dramatically alter how energetic materials function, Purdue University engineer Monique McClain is developing state-of-the-art tools and methods to control these materials' behavior throughout the manufacturing process and down to the particle level.