2018/ 2019 - PIAF Projekte
The research project „Combination and integration of established technologies with additive manufacturing pro-cesses in a process chain - KitkAdd“ started in 2017 and focuses on the development of innovative, hybrid process chains and consists of eight research and industry partners under the leadership of Siemens AG. On behalf of the Paderborn University (KAt – Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detmar Zimmer), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT/wbk, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gisela Lanza) is a further research institution within the project. The research project with a total duration of three years runs until the end of 2019 and will result in hybrid process chains, an adapted design methodology, design guidelines and achievable manufacturing accuracies for Laser Beam Melting (LBM).
Bioresorbable iron alloys are of high in biomedical applications. However, in most cases the dissolution rate of iron-based alloys in physiological environments is to low. In this project EBM is used as for additive manufacturing of surface modified iron particles. The aim is to control mechanical properties and corrosion rates of iron allys based on the control of the dimensions and the presence or absence of oxides in the created part. The competences in the field of EBM (Thomas Niendorf, Universität Kassel), fatigue (Hans Jürgen Maier, Leibniz Universität Hannover) and interface chemistry and corrosion (Guido Grundmeier, Universität Paderborn) are joined in this project.
The mechanical properties of thin-walled plastic components are limited. One approach of improving the strength is to apply individual adapted Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) structures onto the thin-walled components. To achieve an optimal reinforcing effect, the properties of the FDM-structure must be optimized first. This project will focus on the variation of the FDM process parameters, due to the fact that they have the most significant impact on the mechanical properties. The results of the parameter variation shall provide findings to develop design and process guidelines for FDM-structures that are used for the partial reinforcement of hybrid structures. Besides the mechanical properties, the lightweight potential of the FDM-structure must be also considered.
For the successful application of additive manufacturing processes in technically demanding plastic applications in drive technology, the optimal selection of processes and material as well as practical and accurate design and construction guidelines is necessary. The specific and closely linked dependencies of production processes, ma-terials and component design represent a challenge. This basic-oriented preliminary project compiled a targeted literature research with regard to relevant application potentials. The work is carried out jointly by the Direct Manu-facturing Research Center (DMRC) and the Institute for Composite Materials (IVW).
2018/ 2019 - DMRC Projekte
Since a decade, selective laser melting (SLM) has gained significant attention from academia and industry. This powder-bed based technology enables the manufacturing of highly complex and filigree parts in a near-net-shape manner with a relative density of approximately 99.9 %. However, the material spectrum available for SLM has to be extended in order to further industrialize the process. In particular, martensitic steels, with a medium carbon content of approximately 0.5 ma.-%, represent a class which has rarely been addressed so far. So far, almost all research has addressed austenitic-, precipitation hardenable stainless-, maraging-, and martensitic steels.
In many applications, which can be produced by AM, stainless steel (1.4404) is the most commonly used steel, because it has a well-balanced property profile. For serial production, deep knowledge on the robustness of part properties against variation of powder characteristics is required. The characteristics of the powder material, next to process parameters as well as hard- and software, are important key factors. During the use phase of powder, effects like washing out of fine fractions and the pick-up of nitrogen change the powder characteristics. Therefore, the powder properties permanently change during the manufacturing process. The scope of this project is to investigate the influences of relevant changes of powder characteristics on the material as well as on the part properties.
To enable the use of AM in broad industrial practice, specific tools are required. Function-orientated active principles are a proven tool in the design process to find solutions. Within the project corresponding active principles aredeveloped, especially for AM, and verified on demonstrators and applications. The potential of a function-orientated AM-design is illustrated and examined on industrial applications. In 2017, the focus was on the topics “heat transfer”and “structural optimization”. The project framework was continued 2018 with the topics “Magnetic Flux Guidance” and “Structural Damping”. For 2019, the project will focus on “Embedded Sensors” to implement certain sensors within components that are manufactured by using the Laser Beam Melting process (LBM).
A widespread additive manufacturing process is the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Not many high perfor-mance plastics are available. In theory, it is possible to process any thermoplastic polymer using the FDM process. For professional FDM machines, only a small number of different materials can be purchased. These materials are provided by the machine manufacturers and the material properties are often not sufficiently known. Therefore, this project investigates the processability of alternative high-performance polymers for the FDM process.
Reliable and repeatable part properties are indispensable to include polymer laser sintering in the industrial process portfolio of many companies. With the methodology presented here, not only the process flow from component to post-processing is considered, but also the machine performance is tested in an interlaboratory comparison and over a longer period of time. The backbone of the study is the DMAIC (Define - Measure - Analysis - Improve - Control) improvement cycle which originates from the Six Sigma approach. It was shown, that the proposed methodology is simple and flexible to use for the qualification of AM processes whereby the industrial level of the EOS P396 was evaluated.
2017 - PIAF Projekte
The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process provides huge advantages for aircraft components like valve blocks
and structural parts. In this project funded by the BMWi – “Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy”, the
benefits of substituting conventionally manufactured parts by additively manufactured parts will be examined and
quantified. The scopes are, reducing costs, weight and time in comparison to the traditional design and the conventional
manufacturing method.
This project is about the ability how to use AM components for forming processes. Innovative rupture discs shall
be produced with a high-speed forming process called HGU (German: “Hochgeschwindigkeitsumformung – HGU“).
The challenge is to ensure a stable application even with small nominal sizes of the rupture discs. A significant innovation is the insertion of predetermined breaking points by secondary form elements in the forming process. These
shall be implemented in a thermoplastic FDM die. Therefore, the development of a tool system with additively manufactured components (die and plunger) is planned for the production of innovative rupture discs. This will combine
the advantages of a quasi-static and high-speed forming process in an innovative, efficient and unique tool system.
The mechanical properties of thin-walled plastic components are limited. One approach of improving the strength
is to apply individual adapted Fused-Deposition-Modelling-structures onto the thin-walled components. To achieve
an optimal reinforcing effect, the properties of the FDM-structure must be optimized first. This project will focus on
the variation of the FDM process parameters, because they have the most significant impact on the mechanical properties. The results of the parameter variation shall provide findings to develop design and process guidelines for FDM-structures that are used for the partial reinforcement of hybrid structures. Besides the mechanical properties, the lightweight potential of the FDM-structure must be considered, too.
The motivation of the project is to attain a comprehensive understanding of the variation of microstructure and
mechanical properties of Ni-based superalloys processed by selective laser melting (SLM). Based on these results
a robust processing routine for components made from Inconel 718 will be developed, showing high geometric
complexity and an optimized microstructure for high temperature loading. In order to reduce the porosity, hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is highly interesting. Thus, a promising approach for the further improvement of the material properties is functional encapsulation by means of physical vapour deposition (PVD), which uses an electric arc to evaporate a target material.
The overall objective for iBUS is to develop and demonstrate by 2019 an innovative internet based business model
for the sustainable supply of traditional toy and furniture products that is demand driven, manufactured locally and
sustainably, meeting all product safety guide-lines, within the EU. The iBUS model focuses on the capture, creation
and delivery of value for all stakeholders – consumers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
The research project KitkAdd refers to the topic „Additive Manufacturing - Individualized Products, Complex Mass
Products, Innovative Materials (ProMat_3D)“ and was announced in the announcement of the BMBF on March 27,
2015. The project focuses on individualized products and complex mass products produced by additive manufacturing
processes and aims to increase the economics of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) by combining it with established
manufacturing processes. In order to achieve this, an interdisciplinary view of the areas of development, design,
process chain integration and quality assurance will be focused.
The aim of this project is to investigate the requirements for materials and semi-finished products which are processed
in extrusion deposition 3D printing processes. By gainig a better understanding of these processes, a knowledge
base should be created, to increase the variety of materials that are available. This project is conducted in cooperation
with Albis Plastic and under the NRW Fortschrittskolleg “Lightweight – Efficient – Mobile” (FK LEM). As one of
the six Fortschrittkollegs established in 2014, the FK LEM is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the
German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The overall objective for OptiAMix is to develop various methods and tools for the introduction and use of additive
manufacturing in the industrial environment. These include the development of a software for automated and multi-
target-optimized component design, methods for the strategic-technical component selection, the derivation of
design rules and component identification as well as a general integration methodology for additive manufacturing
into companies.
By employing additive manufacturing (AM) in general and selective laser melting (SLM) in particular, it is possible to
produce metallic parts and components of high complexity. In order to reach the efficiency of conventionally manufactured
parts, additively produced parts must fulfil at least the same requirements. Therefore, basic investigations
for coating and composite systems are essential to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the process-microstructure-
mechanical properties of IN 718 and 316L alloys processed by SLM.
Two soft-magnetic materials, a ferro-silicon alloy and a ferro-cobalt alloy, were processed with selective laser melting
(SLM). Both alloys are used in the electrical industry for different applications due to their increased specific resistance,
in particular regarding the FeSi alloys. The conventional production methods of electrical steel sheets have
been extensively researched and optimized in terms of cost-effectiveness. Therefore, new production techniques
have to be taken into account to increase the efficiency of motor components, e.g., rotors.
Additive Manufacturing enables high innovation and absolutely new possibilities in design und structure for components of the aircraft cabin. The AM relevant work packages of VERONIKA (funded by the BMWi) aim to improve the planning-, design- and manufacturing processes for aircraft cabin parts. Within this project, the DMRC is responsible for analyzing the potentials of additive manufactured parts. Studies on AM processes, material for aircraft industries and design rules were created. Based on a case study several parts or assemblies have been selected and were optimized for lightweight, function and assembly integration or change in material. Finally, demonstrator parts are build and verified based on performance requirements as well as cost, time and quality.
2017 - DMRC Projekte
The project addresses the fabrication and analysis of three challenging materials via selective laser melting (SLM).
Two medium carbo steels and a high carbon content CoCr-alloy are chosen in order to expand the material spectrum
available for SLM. During this one-year project, thorough parameter-studies will be conducted to determine suitable
parameter-sets. Additionally, preliminary microstructural and mechanical results will be obtained.
To enable the use of AM in broad industrial practice, specific tools are required. Function-orientated active principles are a proven tool in the design process to find solutions. Within the project corresponding active principles are developed, especially for AM, and verified on demonstrators and applications. The potential of a function-orientated AM-design is illustrated and examined on industrial applications. In 2017, the focus was on the topics “heat transfer” and “structural optimization”.
The aim of this project is to reduce the high residual stresses and the shrinking of the material caused by the high cooling rate during the building process, which leads to crack formation. In this project, a heated building platform helped to reduce the temperature gradient, which leads to certain microstructural changes that made these materials processable with selective laser melting.
Ti6Al4V is the most commonly used alloy, because of its well-balanced property profile. Different heat treatments allow to tune microstructure and properties for different requirements and applications. During the use phase of powder, effects like out-washing of fine fractions, pick up of oxygen as well as enrichment of splashes change powder characteristics. In addition, there is a possibility of powder decomposition due to the powder handling process. Therefore, the powder quality permanently changes during the manufacturing process. Another point is the lot to lot variation of the powder quality inside the specified ranges. Scope of this project was to investigate the influence of relevant changes of powder characteristics on material as well as part properties.
Information about the mechanical properties are essential for designers in order to design products for application. Particularly for a dynamical application, like in the automotive industry or aircraft, the fatigue and creep behavior of the parts has to be known, so that the parts fulfill the calculated product life cycle. In this project, the fatigue behavior of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) components built with Ultem 9085 and Ultem 1010 is investigated. The dynamic properties of the material Ultem 9085 are tested at low and higher temperatures and Ultem 1010 is analyzed at higher temperatures. In further proceedings of the project, investigations on the deformation behavior of the materials at higher temperatures will follow.
2016 - PIAF/ DMRC Projekte
Mechanical vibrations occur in almost all industrial applications. They are usually unde-sired and make damping necessary. The addi-tive manufacturing processes offer a huge amount of design freedom given by the layer wise manufacturing. Further, they possess unique process specific properties. Utilizing this, it is possible to design and manufacture parts that already imply an integrated damping function. The process characteristics can be used to directly manufacture particle damper inside the parts with additive manufacturing by integrating special shaped cavities that are filled with the powder material during manufacturing.
The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process provides huge advantages for aircraft compo-nents like valve blocks and structural parts. In this project funded by the BMWi – “Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy”, the benefi ts of substituting conventionally manu-factured parts by additively manufactured parts will be examined and quantifi ed. The scopes are, reducing costs, weight and time in comparison to the traditional design and the conventional manufacturing method.
The insertion of cooling channels into injection molding tools leads to a faster cooling rate of the manufactured polymer parts and therefore to a decrease in the production time. These cooling channels are perfused by a cooling liq-uid consisting of tap water, biocides and other inhibitors and chlorides. To avoid corrosion as far as possible, different laser melting alloys were tested for their mechanical, corrosive and adhesive properties. The tensile strength of all alloys fulfills the minimum requirements for the use in injection moulds. As recommendation the results showed that either all parts that are electrolytically and electrically con-nected has to be constructed of Corrax (which shows the best corrosion performance due to the high Cr-content) or if this is not possible Orvar (conventionally molded as building plat-form) should be combined with H13 (laser sin-tered as injection molding tool) as otherwise galvanic corrosion would lead to a preferential corrosion of metal parts with reduced Cr-content.
Technical parts are designed computer-aided at its theoretical ideal shape. However, manu-facturing always leads to geometrical devia-tions. The functionality of technical parts in terms of its assembling ability is significantly influenced by the interaction of various geo-metrical deviations. For this reason, it is essential that the geometric shapes meet their requirements. Thus, limits need to be given for the geometrical deviations that is typically done by tolerances. For additive manufacturing, it is currently unknown how large such tolerances have to be. Thus, no reliable and comprehensive information about tolerances for additive manufacturing are defined in standards.
Additive manufacturing creates parts in lay-ers and without formative tools. Thereby, new freedoms and restrictions arise. To publish these, comprehensive design rules are required. Such design rules were developed in the Direct Manufacturing Design Rules (DMDR) project. Because the validity of these design rules was limited to only a few considered boundary conditions, the Direct Manufacturing Design Rules 2.0 project has the aim to extend the range of validity. Therefore, the tests of the DMDR project were repeated with various machines, materials and parameters. As result, a design rule catalogue for various boundary conditions is given.
The implementation of Additive Manufac-turing (AM) in infrastructure and processes poses major challenges for companies. In the “DynAMiCS” project, methods and tools were developed to support companies in economic use of the technology. Starting from the identification of relevant product segments, suitable products and services are identified and new or extended business models are evolved. The developed methods and tools for the identifi-cation of AM potentials were validated in cooperation with DMRC partner companies such as Stükerjürgen Aerospace Composites GmbH & Co. KG, Krause DiMaTec and Parker-Hannifin.
This project is funded by the DBU – “Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt” and runs in cooperation with Eisenhuth and an associated auto-motive OEM. The research question in this project is, if the FDM process is suitable for the production of tool inserts (negative molds), which enables the production of fi nely textured metallic bipolar plates (BPP). Therefore different fl ow fi eld designs are manufactured and tested at the DMRC. Moreover a suitable FDM-Material has to be identified which fulfills the requirements and loads for the molding process of thin metallic plates.
In practice, the knowledge of the fatigue properties, in addition to the static material properties, is crucial for a reliable component design. Many components are not only stati-cally loaded, but also dynamically loaded in the area of application, such as a fastener on an airplane. Therefore, the fatigue behavior of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) parts manu-factured with Ultem 1010 and Ultem 9085 as well as Laser Sintering (LS) parts manufactured with Polyamide (PA) 12 are analyzed in this project. Furthermore, chemical surface treatment can be used for surface smoothing of additive manufactured polymer parts. The influence of the chemical surface treatment on the mechanical properties will be analyzed in static and dynamic tests.
A defined arrangement of crack delay elements optimizes the life of Selective Laser Melting parts that are under fatigue loading, thus ensuring safe use in an industrial envi-ronment. For this purpose, examinations are carried out on specimens that are having different arrangements and geometries of crack delay elements and their influence on service life is tested by means of experimental and numerical methods. Fracture mechanical investigations, like influence of crack delay elements on crack initiation and crack deflec-tion behavior are the results of this project in order to generate an optimal design for cyclically loaded components.
The central aim of this research project is to investigate and to test the extent to which the technology of additive manufacturing is suitable for the production of rotors for encoderless regulated permanent magnetic synchronous machines (PMSM).
Previous DMRC projects in the field of the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process promise a lot of new properties made from conventional materials. Single-material com-ponents manufactured by this production technique have been developed by different DMRC research groups. For example, tailored mechanical properties of components as well as high strength lattice structures. Thus, the outstanding potential of this innovative Addi-tive Manufacturing technology was demon-strated for different metals and applications. Nevertheless, all these investigations have been carried out on more or less conventional materials, such as titanium alloy TiAl6V4 or stainless steel 316L.
In a fast moving age manufacturers of innovative products and products of exceptional quality are often victims of product piracy. Imitators enter the market just copying exten-sively developed products and reducing the deserved turnover of the original creators. To fight this current threat conscious behavior and reliable protection measures are required. As part of the technology network “Intelligent Technical Systems” OstWestfalenLippe (it’s OWL) funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) the project “It’s OWL 3P: Prevention of Product Piracy” focuses on raising the awareness that legal measures are not the only way to protect inno-vations and products against product piracy.
The project KnowAM deals with the processes of cost efficient design and planning regarding the use of Additive Manufacturing technologies. Costing structures of AM technologies and planning tools for early phases of the product development are part of the research. Based on best practices from product development case studies, a methodology for cost efficient design and planning is derived.
Currently, one of the main challenges in industry is the reduction of the energy consumption of moving parts as well as of the total amount of the materials used. In order to meet the demand for optimized lightweight parts, the development of load adapted structures has begun to play a key role in today’s research. One approach is the employment of low density materials, such as the well-known aluminum foams. However, on small scale, these foam structures are stochastic and therefore not load optimized. At this point, additive manufacturing becomes highly beneficial as it enables for an unprecedented design freedom. By the application of additively manu-factured non-stochastic cellular structures, which can be locally adapted to the prevailing stresses, an optimized relative loading capac-ity becomes feasible.
The goal of this research project with twelve partners from all over Europe and from the US is the onsite maintenance and repair of aircrafts by integrated direct digital manufacturing of spare parts. Cost effi cient and lightweight but robust reliable parts are obligatory for aircrafts. Additive Manufacturing allows completely new approaches: The main objective of RepAIR is to shift the ‘make-or-buy’ decision towards the ‘make’ decision by cost reduction in the remake and rework of spare parts and therefore to improve cost efficiency for maintenance repair in aeronautics and air transport.
Objective surface qualification values are not defined nowadays and are therefore evaluated for laser sintered part surfaces. Also, subjective haptic impressions are considered and correlated to objective values. Furthermore, the surface quality in dependence to variations of manufacturing process parameters are investigated to identify the most influencing parameters. A variety of post-processing methods are also examined according their utility for smoothing laser sintered parts. The build orientation as a main influencing factor is considered with a newly built tool to predefine the optimal orientation for good surface quality of functional areas of a part.
Materials for laser sintering process are still rare and in focus of current research. Standard material Polyamide 12 is well known in terms of material characteristics, laser sintering process and resulting part properties. Furthermore it is applicable in a broad amount of technical cases. However Polyamide 12 is only one of numerous technical polymers and the here investigated TPE-A material supplements the material database of laser sintering. TPE-A is a thermoplastic elastomer, having elastic and simultaneously thermoplastic properties. This way it is possible to use TPE-A for the laser sintering process, realizing new applications like for bellows, seals and shoe soles. One of thermoplastic elastomer in the market is EOS’s PrimePart ST, a PEBA (polyamide-based TPE), that was specifically developed for application in laser sintering. Though it is already usable on laser sintering machine, there are several aspects that have to be investigated.
2015 - PIAF/DMRC Projekte
As additive manufacturing processes create parts layer by layer without using formative tools, they have a great potential to provide new design freedoms to their users. To publish these freedoms and to support a suitable design for manufacturing, comprehensive design rules for additive manufacturing are required. Within the “Direct Manufacturing Design Rules” project (DMDR) design rules for additive manufacturing processes were developed. At the end of the DMDR project, the developed design rules applied only for the considered boundary conditions. Thus, the “Direct Manufacturing Design Rules 2.0” project has the aim to extend the range of validity for the developed design rules.
In practice, the knowledge of the fatigue properties, in addition to the static material properties, is crucial for a reliable component design. Many components are not only statically loaded, but also dynamically loaded in the area of application, such as a fastener on an airplane. In addition to the actual load carried during turbulence or takeoffs and landings, this component is subjected to a certain oscillation, which leads to peak loads. By determining SN curves, reliable statements about the relationship between the number of load cycles and the discontinued load can be determined, so that the risk of an unexpected failure of the components is drastically minimized. If plastic components are permanently loaded, e.g., such as it may be in the case of a fastener, a creep of the material will occurs. Creep designates the plastic deformation under a sustained load. This can eventually lead to the failure of the component.
From the very first invention to broadscale application, technologies usually undergo a diffusion process. The antecessors of modern AM machines date back to the 80s. However scholars are still waiting for the announced industrial revolution. As of today, the DMRC has been working on propelling the technology from Rapid Prototyping to Direct Manufacturing for more than six years. The DMRC’s competences enable it to act as a technology mediator: It can draw accurate estimations of whether AM makes sense in a case or not. Therefore, the aim of this project is a scalable, workshop-based check system. In the course of the project, we employ methods of strategic planning and adapt them in the context of AM. For their validation we continuously conduct validation workshops in producing companies.
By using 3D-Printing, a new solution space can be entered. Advantages such as design freedom, short production time and cheap and fast prototyping are well known, but in order to leverage the new possibilities for production and design, apprenticeship is needed. Vital questions are: How to deal with this new technology? How to get a high quality 3D model? How to reduce support structures and is a part capable or not for 3D-Printing? In this project, the DMRC will strengthen the knowledge transfer between industry and students. Particular areas and faculties in addition to mechanical engineering, like arts or electronics, shall be addressed. The combination of new areas and its perception shows radical new possibilities for additive manufacturing. New points of views can lead to alternative solutions to current shortcomings. New application fields of AM will be entered. The aim of the project is to enable students to work with AM. In the Student Laboratory theoretical knowledge can be extended by practically working with the machines. When starting a job after university, those students will be able to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with the industry. Knowledge will be multiplied and the impact of AM will grow.
The aim of the project “Direct Manufacturing of structure elements for the next generation platform” – initiated and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) – is to examine the ability of using Additive Manufacturing for producing structural metallic parts mainly used in actual telecommunication satellites. Therefore trade-off methodologies to select feasible parts, test and verification plans as well as manufacturing strategies for space parts are to be developed.
The overall objective for iBUS is to develop and demonstrate by 2018 an innovative internet based business model for the sustainable supply of traditional toy and furniture products that is demand driven, manufactured locally and sustainably, meeting all product safety guidelines, within the EU. The iBUS model focuses on the capture, creation and delivery of value for all stakeholders – consumers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
2014 - PIAF/ DMRC Projekte
Since a high productivity is a crucial criterion for the use of a specific manufacturinprocess, it is the goal of this project to find optimal exposure parameters of the SLM process with regard to required cycle time and component quality. In this study design of experiments is used as a method to characterize the influencing factors and their influence on specific target values. The best parameter set is used to produce test specimens for mechanical testing. To perform analyses of the build-up rate, a real-time data collection software was developed within this project.
Based on the available knowledge and results from the Year 2012 new approaches were initiated to optimize the processes available at the DMRC which should lead to better quality control methods. The aim was to avoid or minimize possible sources of failure which would lead to the crashing of jobs or part failure due to process problems. In the project “QM System for the additive processes installed at the DMRC” during the year 2014 following points were examined and developed.
As additive manufacturing processes create parts layer by layer without using formative tools, they have a great potential to provide new design freedoms to their users. To publish these freedoms and to support a suitable design for manufacturing, comprehensive design rules for additive manufacturing are required. Within the “Direct Manufacturing Design Rules” project (DMDR) design rules for additive manufacturing processes were developed. At time, the developed design rules apply only for boundary conditions that were considered within the DMDR project. Thus, the “Direct Manufacturing Design Rules 2.0” project has the aim to extend the range of validity for the developed design rules.
This project treats two important challenges regarding the Laser Sintering Process. One focus is on an optimized polyamide 12 material (PA 2221), which allows a higher recycling rate of used powder and thereby reduces the material consumption. The impact on part and powder properties is investigated along a production oriented series of build and powder mixture cycles. Another focus is on the cooling process of the part cake, which strongly infl uences the part and powder properties but is less known yet. Therefore, the temperature history within the part cake is measured experimentally and correlated with part quality characteristics. In a second step, the cooling process is simulated as a basis for optimized process controls.
In the project CoA2MPLy the cost structure of Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been analyzed and a costing framework considering the whole lifecycle costs is one result of CoA2MPLy. This allows a comparison between AM and traditional manufacturing concerning costs in each process in a parts lifecycle. During the research activities some problems regarding cost relevant parameters have been identified. Based on these outcomes and gathered knowledge there are three main objectives to address in the follow-up project CoA2MPLy 2.0.
The aim of this project is to establish a database that is necessary for the direct manufacturing of parts via the Fused Deposition Modeling in the toy industry with the material ABS. For this, not only the strength properties and the influencing parameters on the strengths have to be worked out, but a knowledge of possible surface finishing methods is also needed in order to create a component that meets the given requirements. Another very important topic is the dimensional accuracy of the parts. A very high fitting accuracy is necessary in some applications. This research project is divided into three work packages. First the mechanical strengths are analyzed, then the surface characteristics in combination with the dimensional accuracy of FDM components manufactured with the material ABS are investigated experimentally.
Additive Manufacturing is a disruptive technology progressively permeating diverse markets. It is capable to trigger major upheavals reshaping supply chains and business models over the next decade. Many industries are seeking for opportunities how to capitalize on the benefits AM provides; new industries progressively draw their attention to AM’s potential. As well, global research initiatives funded by different governments spark new impulses in the research landscape. Established and newly founded research centers, e.g. in the UK, the US or Germany are continuously striving to close research gaps and to transfer the research results into tangible outcomes for the industry. Therefore, demand- oriented research strategies are needed.
From the very first invention to broadscale application, technologies usually undergo a diffusion process. The antecessors of modern AM machines date back to the 80s. However scholars are still waiting for the industrial revolution, which is present in the subtext of our media. As of today, the DMRC has been working on propelling the technology from Rapid Prototyping to Direct Manufacturing for more than five years. The DMRC’s competences enables it to act as a technology mediator: It can draw accurate estimations of whether AM makes sense in a case or not. Therefore, the aim of this project is a systematic technology-diffusion concept. In the course of the project we endeavor to explore the resentments against AM which hinder its broad acceptance and an answer to the question: Is AM different in its diffusion process?
Currently, one of the main challenges in industry is the reduction of the energy consumption of moving parts as well as of the total amount of the material used. In order to meet the demand for optimized light-weight parts, the development of load adapted structures has begun to play a key role in today’s research. One approach is the use of low density materials, such as the well-known aluminum foams. However, on small scale these foam structures are stochastic and therefore not load optimized. At this point additive manufacturing becomes highly beneficial as it enables for an unprecedented design freedom. By application of additively manufactured non-stochastic cellular structures, which can be locally adapted to the prevailing stresses, an optimized relative loading capacity becomes feasible.
2013 - PIAF/ DMRC Projekte
The aim of the project is a complete investigation of the laser sintering process along the LS Process Quality Chain regarding a real design for the aerospace industry. Influencing parameters are defined reasonable to increase the reproducibility. The investigations of material and quality characteristics are the main focus of this project. One main topic is the development of a characterization method to uniquely define the powder quality of the raw material. The investigation of material properties will be performed regarding the quality of the raw material as well as other influencing factors. Furthermore the construction and design of the given requirements regarding lightweight construction, cost reduc-tion and others round off the project specifications.
Since a high productivity is a crucial criterion for the use of a specific manufacturing process, it is the aim of this project to find optimal expo-sure parameters of the SLM process with regard to required cycle time and component quality.
Additive Manufacturing is a disruptive technology progressively perme-ating diverse markets. It is capable to trigger major upheavals resha-ping supply chains and business models over the next decade. Many industries are seeking for opportunities how to capitalize on the bene-fits AM provides; new industries progressively draw their attention to AM’s potential. As well, global research initiatives funded by different governments spark new impulses in the research landscape. Establis-hed and newly founded research centers, e.g. in the UK, the US or Ger-many are continuously striving to close research gaps and to transfer the research results into tangible outcomes for the industry. Therefore, demand-oriented research strategies are needed.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) parts show rough and wavy surfaces with stair step effects at slopes and round part geometries. For the application of this parts, especially for end use products, the surface has to be treated primarily for decorative aspects or/ and in order to achieve water tightness. The surface treatment includes a surface smoothing first and a subsequent coating or a coating that generates smooth surfaces. An important criterion for possible finishing methods is to keep the flexibility of the additive manufacturing process.
As additive manufacturing processes create parts layer by layer without using formative tools, they have a great potential to provide new design freedoms to their users. To publish these freedoms and to support a suitable design for manufacturing, design rules for additive manufacturing are required. But profound knowledge about such rules is not completely given at time. Thus the Direct Manufacturing Design Rules (DMDR) project had the objective to develop design rules for additive manufacturing. The basis for their development was given by Standard Elements.
To quantitatively assess the surface quality (i.e. surface “roughness” on a number of scales) of laser sintered parts a reliable characterization method has to be found. With this method the surface quality of laser sintered parts depending on different machine parameters has to be analyzed in order to describe the correlation between machine settings and surface quality. Further testing will cover post processing methods to improve the surface finish with reasonable effort in terms of costs and labor. Furthermore, the effects of surface quality (due to sintering para-meters as well as post processing methods) on mechanical properties as well as aging by comparison of post processed and untreated parts in long-time testing will be examined. The overall aim is a surface quality analysis of laser sintered parts.
The goal of this research-project was to understand and rate the cost drivers that act as the largest contributors to unit costs and to provide a focus for future cost reduction activities for the AM technology over the whole lifecycle. The results will help to identify success factors for cost reduction in the field of Additive Manufacturing. An exemplary metal part was used to collect data and to raise the understanding of AM cost drivers. This will help to increase the fields of application for additive manufactured parts focusing on Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM). A better understanding of the cost structure will help to compare the AM costs with costs of the traditional manufacturing technologies and make it easier to justify the use of the AM technology.
In order to reduce the energy consumption of moving parts as well as the total amount of the material used, diverse light-weight strategies are currently in the focus of industry and research. One promising light-weight strategy is the application of additively manufactured cellular structures, which due to their low relative density are characterized by high relative strength. These structures can be adapted to the load by local modification of the strut diameter or strut orientation. Consequently, a more efficient design can be achieved allowing for reducing the structural weight as well as the overall material use. For industrial application a robust and reliable simulation is imperative, as the structural performance in dependence of both the cellular design and the microstructure has to be predictable under complex loading scenarios prevailing in many actual applications. Thus, the establishment of a robust FEA model for complex loaded cellular lightweight structures will be aim of this project.
