Missouri S&T researchers develop new design rules to improve reliability and reduce costs in Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing
The team at Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing is reshaping how manufacturers think about metal casting replacements. Using Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM), a solid-state 3D printing process that builds metal parts without melting, researchers have developed a new set of design rules that could make it easier and more cost-effective to produce complex, thin-walled components.
Bradley Deuser, MSc., operations manager at the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, presented the findings at two major industry events this spring: RAPID + TCT 2025 in Detroit, Michigan, and the Cold Spray Action Team (CSAT)/Large Scale Additive Action Team (LSAAT) meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The research, supported by LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow) and the Office of Naval Research, focuses on improving the manufacturability of parts that are traditionally cast such as housings, brackets, and structural components by replacing them with CSAM-built alternatives. The goal is to reduce the trial-and-error typically involved in designing for cold spray and to accelerate adoption of the technology in defense and aerospace applications.
“Cold spray has enormous potential, but it’s not as simple as hitting ‘print,’” said Deuser. “We needed to understand how geometry affects the process and then translate that into practical design guidance.”
The team identified three key geometric features that influence the success of CSAM builds: inside corners, compound curves, and spacing between walls. Sharp corners, for example, tend to disrupt gas flow and cause material buildup due to phenomena present in high pressure gas dynamics. Classic CSAM design rules address single-feature constraints such as corner radii or minimum wall thickness, but certain compounded features were found to produce catastrophic build up failures. These included not only the corner radius, but also the angle of any intersecting wall features and the thickness of the wall being fabricated. Considering these three together mapped a very different set of design constraints than they did apart. Similarly, spacing of these thinwall sections had an impact on overspray defect creation when packed too close together.
These rules were not only derived from theoretical modeling but also validated through hands-on experimentation, including CT scanning which revealed higher areas of porosity in the regions that these masking defects were present. The research links specific geometric features to common CSAM defects, providing a practical framework that reduces trial-and-error in the design process. The result is a framework that links specific design choices to known defect mechanisms, giving engineers a clearer path to successful builds.
Beyond improving reliability, the research also points to significant cost savings. A detailed analysis showed that optimizing deposition efficiency and spray speed made it possible to achieve cost parity with machining or casting of low-volume parts in niche cases of part families, particularly those with high buy-to-fly ratios and of large enough proportions.
“This is about making cold spray more accessible,” said Deuser. “If we can give designers the tools to get it right the first time, we can unlock a lot of potential in this technology.”
The team plans to continue refining the design rules and integrating them into standard engineering workflows. Their work is part of a broader push to modernize U.S. manufacturing and reduce dependence on legacy casting processes.
For more information, contact Bradley Deuser at bdeuser@mst.edu.