YOUNGSTOWN — JuggerBot 3D, the downtown Youngstown-based manufacturer of industrial 3D printers, has been awarded $4 million from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a hybrid additive manufacturing system that’s able to produce parts using separate materials.

The project, according to a news release, “aims to drive technologies that will radically lower the cost of manufacturing, produce lighter-weight vehicles” and “scale manufacturing to the speed of relevance.”

The system would incorporate two-part resin and pellet-fed material extrusion technologies, capable of processing advanced thermoset polymers and performance-grade thermoplastic materials.

“Finding success with this project will generate significant value for the U.S. Air Force and the broader additive manufacturing industry by showcasing the use of thermoset and thermoplastic hybrid extrusion,” JuggerBot 3D President and co-founder Zachary DiVencenzo said. “This initiative will expand upon the achievements from previous programs we have taken on in both faculties.

Over the next two years, JuggerBot 3D will advance the technology and participate in several technical session presentations with other key project partners to demonstrate pinpoint equipment capabilities, the release states.

“Designing and developing this novel technology for large format composites will enhance the Aerospace and Defense Industrial Base to reduce time and cost associated with the production of critical parts in a timeframe urgent to meet the needs of their industry,” DiVencenzo said.

JuggerBot 3D, a member of America Makes in Youngstown, will collaborate with the organization, which works to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing across the U.S.