The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and JuggerBot 3D, an industrial 3D-printer equipment manufacturer, have launched their second research and development collaboration through the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) Technical Collaboration Program.

The two organizations aim to expand the possibilities for large-format 3D printing into a new set of materials—thermoset polymers, such as epoxies, vinyl esters, and polyurethanes—and develop systems that can print both thermosets and thermoplastics. The new project will build on the production-ready technologies developed during an earlier collaboration, which ended in February.

“Creating innovative solutions with industry partners is what the MDF does best,” says MDF director Ryan Dehoff. “Our strengths in digital, materials, and additive manufacturing, combined with the expertise and interesting challenges industry brings, allow us to advance U.S. competitiveness.”

Thermoplastics and thermosets are categories of plastic polymers that react differently under heat. The categories provide different material properties and benefits best suited for different applications. Thermosets, for example, can withstand higher temperatures without softening or warping. However, most 3D printing technologies have focused on thermoplastics, such as polyethylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polylactic acid.

JuggerBot 3D’s first collaboration with ORNL tackled a major barrier regarding the quality of pellet-fed, large-format printing for thermoplastics. Inconsistent width of the polymer bead laid down during printing limits design possibilities at the outset and creates pronounced surface variations to trim away afterward. 

Together, ORNL and JuggerBot 3D successfully increased print quality and consistency, which makes pellet-fed 3D printing a solution for more applications. These include flow conveyance components for hydroelectric dams, customized pipe and tube adapters, and pipeline alignment check fixtures for the oil and gas industries.

That project started with refining ORNL slicing software and JuggerBot 3D equipment to work in tandem. Slicing software converts a computer-aided design, or CAD, model into a series of two-dimensional layers called slices. The software calculates printhead path, speed, temperature, and other parameters to create a precise 3D version of the object. 

“When our company first transitioned to pellet-fed 3D printing, we faced a big risk because there were no available slicers that could do what we envisioned,” says Zachary DiVencenzo, president and co-founder of JuggerBot 3D. “That is, until we met the ORNL team. Their existing slicer software was the foundation we needed to grow. Now, the updated open-source Slicer 2 showcases how ORNL innovates for all advanced manufacturing. We’re far from the only company that will benefit from it.”

Next, the collaborative team explored methods for calibrating the JuggerBot 3D pellet-fed extruder’s speed and material output in real time. The researchers developed a bead characterization system using laser technology to measure the width of deposited polymer beads, enabling the extruder to compensate as needed to print with greater accuracy. 

The last phase focused on maximizing efficiency through automation. “JuggerBot 3D had the idea, which we’ve commercialized since then, to develop a material database housed within our printer that contains critical process parameters for hundreds of thousands of materials,” DiVencenzo says. 

ORNL helped JuggerBot 3D achieve this innovation in a way that provides its customers with both ease of use and a high degree of functionality.

Typically, operators must provide details about the machine, printing speed, system calibration, and material process parameters for the slicing software. However, the combination of ORNL Slicer 2, new calibration technology, and the JuggerBot 3D Material Card results in a data-driven, automated process operators can run without such specialized knowledge. 

“Operators only need to know which machine they’ll be using. They can slice the CAD design once, then the system pulls in the Material Card data and does the rest,” ORNL researcher Alex Roschli says. “They won’t need to run the entire calibration process each time they change materials. This can save days or weeks. That adds up for a company.”

This project is running in parallel to a JuggerBot 3D project for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The company has been awarded $4 million to develop a large-scale advanced manufacturing system capable of processing both thermoplastics and liquid resin thermosets. 

ORNL and JuggerBot 3D will refine the slicing software and printer hardware to process thermosets independently, and thermosets and thermoplastics simultaneously—which is an industry first. JuggerBot 3D will then create and integrate new thermoset Material Cards. This collaboration, like the first, will culminate in technologies ready to be incorporated into production workflows, which creates opportunities for the entire MDF ecosystem of manufacturers, end users, and universities.

The MDF, supported by Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, is a nationwide consortium of collaborators working with ORNL to innovate, inspire, and catalyze the transformation of U.S. manufacturing. Connect with the MDF here.

Published July 8, 2025, by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.