Improving the efficiency of fabrication of AM parts by segmentation design in DLP process

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1155-1168
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kazemi ◽  
Abdolreza Rahimi

PurposeAdditive manufacturing technology significantly simplifies the production of complex three-dimensional (3 D) parts directly from the computer-aided design (CAD) model. Although additive manufacturing (AM) processes have unexampled flexibility, they still have restrictions inhibiting engineers to easily generate some specific geometric shapes, easily. Some of these problems pertain to the consumption of materials as supports, the inferior surface finish of some surfaces with certain angles, etc. One of the approaches to overcome these problems is designing by segmentation.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed methodology consists of two steps: (1) segmentation of the 3 D model and (2) exploring the best orientation for each segment. In the first step, engineers consider the possible number of segments and the connection method of segments. In this paper, a series of segments, called a segmentation pattern (SP), is obtained by the recognition of features and separating them automatically (or manually when needed) with one or more appropriate planes. In the second step, the best fabrication orientation should be chosen. The criteria for choosing the best SP and OPs are minimizing the support volume, building time (directly affected by segments’ height in layer-wise AM processes) and surface roughness. Both steps are performed automatically (or manually when needed) by the algorithm created based on principles of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm using Visual C#.FindingsExperimental tests show that the segmentation design improves AM processes from the aspects of building time, material consumption and the surface quality. Segmentation design empowers users of AM technologies to reduce consumption of material by decreasing the support structures, to decrease the time of building by lowering the segments height and to decrease the surface roughness.Originality/valueThis paper presents an original approach in efficiency improvement of AM technologies, thus bringing the AM one step closer to maturity.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiktoria Maria Wojnarowska ◽  
Jakub Najowicz ◽  
Tomasz Piecuch ◽  
Michał Sochacki ◽  
Dawid Pijanka ◽  
...  

Purpose Chicken orthoses that cover the ankle joint area are not commercially available. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to fabricate a customised temporary Ankle–Foot Orthosis (AFO) for a chicken with a twisted ankle using computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional (3D) printing. The secondary objective of the paper is to present the specific application of Additive Manufacturing (AM) in veterinary medicine. Design/methodology/approach The design process was based on multiple sketches, photos and measurements that were provided by the owner of the animal. The 3D model of the orthosis was made with Autodesk Fusion 360, while the prototype was fabricated using fused deposition modelling (FDM). Evaluation of the AFO was performed using the finite element method. Findings The work resulted in a functional 3D printed AFO for chicken. It was found that the orthosis made with AM provides satisfactory stiffen and a good fit. It was concluded that AM is suitable for custom bird AFO fabrication and, in some respects, is superior to traditional manufacturing methods. It was also concluded that the presented procedure can be applied in other veterinary cases and to other animal species and other parts of their body. AM provides veterinary with a powerful tool for the production of well-fitted and durable orthoses for animals. Research limitations/implications The study does not include the chicken's opinion on the comfort or fit of the manufactured AFO due to communication issues. Evaluation of the final prototype was done by the researchers and the animal owner. Originality/value No evidence was found in the literature on the use of AM for chicken orthosis, so this study is the first to describe such an application of AM. In addition, the study demonstrates the value of AM in veterinary medicine, especially in the production of devices such as orthoses.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian N. Turner ◽  
Scott A Gold

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature related to dimensional accuracy and surface roughness for fused deposition modeling and similar extrusion-based additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping processes. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of the literature was carried out by focusing on the relationship between process and product design parameters and the dimensional and surface properties of finished parts. Methods for evaluating these performance parameters are also reviewed. Findings – Fused deposition modeling® and related processes are the most widely used polymer rapid prototyping processes. For many applications, resolution, dimensional accuracy and surface roughness are among the most important properties in final parts. The influence of feedstock properties and system design on dimensional accuracy and resolution is reviewed. Thermal warping and shrinkage are often major sources of dimensional error in finished parts. This phenomenon is explored along with various approaches for evaluating dimensional accuracy. Product design parameters, in particular, slice height, strongly impact surface roughness. A geometric model for surface roughness is also reviewed. Originality/value – This represents the first review of extrusion AM processes focusing on dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. Understanding and improving relationships between materials, design parameters and the ultimate properties of finished parts will be key to improving extrusion AM processes and expanding their applications.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1136-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunbo Zhang ◽  
Tsz Ho Kwok

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish new computer-aided-design (CAD) framework to design custom product that is fabricated additive manufacturing (AM), which can produce complex three-dimensional (3D) object without additional tool or fixture. Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects with complex shapes without additional tools and refixturing. However, it is difficult for user to use traditional computer-aided design tools to design custom products. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors presented a design system to help user design custom 3D printable products based on some reference freeform shapes. The user can define and edit styling curves on the reference model using the interactive geometric operations for styling curve. Incorporating with the reference models, these curves can be converted into 3D printable models through the fabrication interface. Findings The authors tested their system with four design applications including a hollow patterned bicycle helmet, a T-rex with skin frame structure, a face mask with Voronoi patterns and an AM-specific night dress with hollow patterns. Originality/value The executable prototype of the presented design framework used in the customization process is publicly available.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu Qiao ◽  
Rong Mo ◽  
Ying Xiang

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish an adaptive assembly, to realize the adaptive changing of the models and to improve the flexibility and reliability of assembly change. For a three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) assembly in a changing process, there are two practical problems. One is delivering parameters’ information not smoothly. The other one is to easily destroy an assembly structure. Design/methodology/approach – The paper establishes associated parameters design structure matrix of related parts, and predicts possible propagation paths of the parameters. Based on the predicted path, structured storage is made for the affected parameters, tolerance range and the calculation relations. The study combines structured path information and all constrained assemblies to build the adaptive assembly, proposes an adaptive change algorithm for assembly changing and discusses the extendibility of the adaptive assembly. Findings – The approach would improve the flexibility and reliability of assembly change and be applied to different CAD platform. Practical implications – The examples illustrate the construction and adaptive behavior of the assembly and verify the feasibility and reasonability of the adaptive assembly in practical application. Originality/value – The adaptive assembly model proposed in the paper is an original method to assembly change. And compared with other methods, good results have been obtained.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Norberto Pires ◽  
Amin S. Azar ◽  
Filipe Nogueira ◽  
Carlos Ye Zhu ◽  
Ricardo Branco ◽  
...  

Purpose Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly evolving manufacturing process, which refers to a set of technologies that add materials layer-by-layer to create functional components. AM technologies have received an enormous attention from both academia and industry, and they are being successfully used in various applications, such as rapid prototyping, tooling, direct manufacturing and repair, among others. AM does not necessarily imply building parts, as it also refers to innovation in materials, system and part designs, novel combination of properties and interplay between systems and materials. The most exciting features of AM are related to the development of radically new systems and materials that can be used in advanced products with the aim of reducing costs, manufacturing difficulties, weight, waste and energy consumption. It is essential to develop an advanced production system that assists the user through the process, from the computer-aided design model to functional components. The challenges faced in the research and development and operational phase of producing those parts include requiring the capacity to simulate and observe the building process and, more importantly, being able to introduce the production changes in a real-time fashion. This paper aims to review the role of robotics in various AM technologies to underline its importance, followed by an introduction of a novel and intelligent system for directed energy deposition (DED) technology. Design/methodology/approach AM presents intrinsic advantages when compared to the conventional processes. Nevertheless, its industrial integration remains as a challenge due to equipment and process complexities. DED technologies are among the most sophisticated concepts that have the potential of transforming the current material processing practices. Findings The objective of this paper is identifying the fundamental features of an intelligent DED platform, capable of handling the science and operational aspects of the advanced AM applications. Consequently, we introduce and discuss a novel robotic AM system, designed for processing metals and alloys such as aluminium alloys, high-strength steels, stainless steels, titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, nickel-based superalloys and other metallic alloys for various applications. A few demonstrators are presented and briefly discussed, to present the usefulness of the introduced system and underlying concept. The main design objective of the presented intelligent robotic AM system is to implement a design-and-produce strategy. This means that the system should allow the user to focus on the knowledge-based tasks, e.g. the tasks of designing the part, material selection, simulating the deposition process and anticipating the metallurgical properties of the final part, as the rest would be handled automatically. Research limitations/implications This paper reviews a few AM technologies, where robotics is a central part of the process, such as vat photopolymerization, material jetting, binder jetting, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, DED and sheet lamination. This paper aims to influence the development of robot-based AM systems for industrial applications such as part production, automotive, medical, aerospace and defence sectors. Originality/value The presented intelligent system is an original development that is designed and built by the co-authors J. Norberto Pires, Amin S. Azar and Trayana Tankova.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Valenzuela Matus ◽  
Jorge Lino Alves ◽  
Joaquim Góis ◽  
Augusto Barata da Rocha ◽  
Rui Neto ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to prove and qualify the influence of textured surface substrates morphology and chemical composition on the growth and propagation of transplanted corals. Use additive manufacturing and silicone moulds for converting three-dimensional samples into limestone mortar with white Portland cement substrates for coral growth. Design/methodology/approach Tiles samples were designed and printed with different geometries and textures inspired by nature marine environment. Commercial coral frag tiles were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the main chemical elements. Raw materials and coral species were selected. New base substrates were manufactured and deployed into a closed-circuit aquarium to monitor the coral weekly evolution process and analyse the results obtained. Findings Experimental results provided positive statistical parameters for future implementation tests, concluding that the intensity of textured surface, interfered favourably in the coralline algae biofilm growth. The chemical composition and design of the substrates were determinant factors for successful coral propagation. Recesses and cavities mimic the natural rocks aspect and promoted the presence and interaction of other species that favour the richness of the ecosystem. Originality/value Additive manufacturing provided an innovative method of production for ecology restoration areas, allowing rapid prototyping of substrates with high complexity morphologies, a critical and fundamental attribute to guarantee coral growth and Crustose Coralline Algae. The result of this study showed the feasibility of this approach using three-dimensional printing technologies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-483
Author(s):  
Muhammad Omar Shaikh ◽  
Ching-Chia Chen ◽  
Hua-Cheng Chiang ◽  
Ji-Rong Chen ◽  
Yi-Chin Chou ◽  
...  

Purpose Using wire as feedstock has several advantages for additive manufacturing (AM) of metal components, which include high deposition rates, efficient material use and low material costs. While the feasibility of wire-feed AM has been demonstrated, the accuracy and surface finish of the produced parts is generally lower than those obtained using powder-bed/-feed AM. The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate the feasibility of a fine wire-based laser metal deposition (FW-LMD) process for producing high-precision metal components with improved resolution, dimensional accuracy and surface finish. Design/methodology/approach The proposed FW-LMD AM process uses a fine stainless steel wire with a diameter of 100 µm as the additive material and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as the heat source. The pulsed laser beam generates a melt pool on the substrate into which the fine wire is fed, and upon moving the X–Y stage, a single-pass weld bead is created during solidification that can be laterally and vertically stacked to create a 3D metal component. Process parameters including laser power, pulse duration and stage speed were optimized for the single-pass weld bead. The effect of lateral overlap was studied to ensure low surface roughness of the first layer onto which subsequent layers can be deposited. Multi-layer deposition was also performed and the resulting cross-sectional morphology, microhardness, phase formation, grain growth and tensile strength have been investigated. Findings An optimized lateral overlap of about 60-70% results in an average surface roughness of 8-16 µm along all printed directions of the X–Y stage. The single-layer thickness and dimensional accuracy of the proposed FW-LMD process was about 40-80 µm and ±30 µm, respectively. A dense cross-sectional morphology was observed for the multilayer stacking without any visible voids, pores or defects present between the layers. X-ray diffraction confirmed a majority austenite phase with small ferrite phase formation that occurs at the junction of the vertically stacked beads, as confirmed by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Tensile tests were performed and an ultimate tensile strength of about 700-750 MPa was observed for all samples. Furthermore, multilayer printing of different shapes with improved surface finish and thin-walled and inclined metal structures with a minimum achievable resolution of about 500 µm was presented. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to report a directed energy deposition process using a fine metal wire with a diameter of 100 µm and can be a possible solution to improving surface finish and reducing the “stair-stepping” effect that is generally observed for wires with a larger diameter. The AM process proposed in this study can be an attractive alternative for 3D printing of high-precision metal components and can find application for rapid prototyping in a range of industries such as medical and automotive, among others.


Author(s):  
Neeraj Panhalkar ◽  
Ratnadeep Paul ◽  
Sam Anand

Additive manufacturing (AM) is widely used in aerospace, automobile, and medical industries for building highly accurate parts using a layer by layer approach. The stereolithography (STL) file is the standard file format used in AM machines and approximates the three-dimensional (3D) model of parts using planar triangles. However, as the STL file is an approximation of the actual computer aided design (CAD) surface, the geometric errors in the final manufactured parts are pronounced, particularly in those parts with highly curved surfaces. If the part is built with the minimum uniform layer thickness allowed by the AM machine, the manufactured part will typically have the best quality, but this will also result in a considerable increase in build time. Therefore, as a compromise, the part can be built with variable layer thicknesses, i.e., using an adaptive layering technique, which will reduce the part build time while still reducing the part errors and satisfying the geometric tolerance callouts on the part. This paper describes a new approach of determining the variable slices using a 3D k-d tree method. The paper validates the proposed k-d tree based adaptive layering approach for three test parts and documents the results by comparing the volumetric, cylindricity, sphericity, and profile errors obtained from this approach with those obtained using a uniform slicing method. Since current AM machines are incapable of handling adaptive slicing approach directly, a “pseudo” grouped adaptive layering approach is also proposed here. This “clustered slicing” technique will enable the fabrication of a part in bands of varying slice thicknesses with each band having clusters of uniform slice thicknesses. The proposed k-d tree based adaptive slicing approach along with clustered slicing has been validated with simulations of the test parts of different shapes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gowtham Venkatraman ◽  
Adam Hehr ◽  
Leon M. Headings ◽  
Marcelo J. Dapino

Purpose Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is a solid-state joining technology used for three-dimensional printing of metal foilstock. The electrical power input to the ultrasonic welder is a key driver of part quality in UAM, but under the same process parameters, it can vary widely for different build geometries and material combinations because of mechanical compliance in the system. This study aims to model the relationship between UAM weld power and system compliance considering the workpiece (geometry and materials) and the fixture on which the build is fabricated. Design/methodology/approach Linear elastic finite element modeling and experimental modal analysis are used to characterize the system’s mechanical compliance, and linear system dynamics theory is used to understand the relationship between weld power and compliance. In-situ measurements of the weld power are presented for various build stiffnesses to compare model predictions with experiments. Findings Weld power in UAM is found to be largely determined by the mechanical compliance of the build and insensitive to foil material strength. Originality/value This is the first research paper to develop a predictive model relating UAM weld power and the mechanical compliance of the build over a range of foil combinations. This model is used to develop a tool to determine the process settings required to achieve a consistent weld power in builds with different stiffnesses.


Author(s):  
Kouroush Jenab ◽  
Philip D. Weinsier

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a process of making a Three-Dimensional (3D) solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model that is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in many fields, such as dental and medical industries and biotech (human tissue replacement). AM refers to technologies that create objects through a sequential layering process. AM processes have several primary areas of complexity that may not be measured precisely, due to uncertain situations. Therefore, this chapter reports an analytical model for evaluating process complexity that takes into account uncertain situations and additive manufacturing process technologies. The model is able to rank AM processes based on their relative complexities. An illustrative example for several processes is demonstrated in order to present the application of the model.


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