When the second world war ended, the government was left with a new field of science known as nucleonics. Created in Oak Ridge and at the other Manhattan Project sites as they developed the first nuclear weapons, the field was underrepresented in both published literature and college classrooms. ...
It’s been more than three decades since inventor Chuck Hull created stereolithography, a process that produces 3D objects by hardening a liquid resin with an ultraviolet laser beam.
Devices using this process, widely considered the first 3D printers, are still in use today, but they are hardly al...
ORNL is proud of its role in fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers. We bring in talented young researchers, team them with accomplished scientists and engineers, and put them to work at the lab’s one-of-a-kind facilities. The result is research that makes us proud and prepares th...
Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers became the first person to drive the first 3-D printed car on September 13, 2014.
Built on site at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago over the previous six days, the vehicle—known as a Strati—demonstrated the ability of a national laboratory to ...
When the Brookings Institution decided to explore how national laboratories should approach economic development, their conversations naturally included Thom Mason and his staff at ORNL.
“Clearly, Oak Ridge is a preeminent innovation and tech development source,” said Mark Muro, senior fellow wit...
1. Arcimoto
ORNL tech: AC-DC inverter, battery system charger and DC-DC inverter combine to make charging, storing and supplying electricity more efficient.
Product: Arcimoto 3-wheel electric vehicle (in development)
2. PerkinElmer
ORNL tech: Microfluidic Lab-on-a-chip
Product: La...
Not all of ORNL’s commercial partners are in East Tennessee, and not all work in carbon fiber or additive manufacturing. Each year, ORNL researchers identify around 200 inventions and discoveries they believe have commercial application—from sophisticated sensors to data analysis tools to advances i...