Unsettled Topics on the Benefit of Additive Manufacturing for Production at the Point of Use in the Mobility Industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Slattery ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Manufacturing Complexity ◽  
Digital File ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Complexity Cost ◽  
Competing Technologies

An oft-cited benefit of additive manufacturing (AM), or “3D-printing,” technology is the ability to produce parts at the point of use by downloading a digital file and making the part at a local printer. This has the potential to greatly compress supply chains, lead times, inventories, and design iterations for custom parts. As a result of this, both manufacturing and logistics companies are investigating and investing in AM capacity for production at the point of use. However, it can be imagined that the feasibility and benefits are a function of size, materials, build time, manufacturing complexity, cost, and competing technologies. Because of this, there are instances where the viability of point-of-use manufacturing ranges from the perfect solution to the worst possible choice. Unsettled Topics on the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing for Production at the Point of Use in the Mobility Industry discusses the benefits, challenges, trade-offs, and other determining factors regarding this new level of AM possibilities.

Build Time Analysis of Additive Manufacturing for Next Generation SLS Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Machado ◽  
Raul Fangueiro ◽  
Daniel Barros ◽  
Luís Nobre ◽  
João Bessa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Selective Laser Sintering ◽  
Material Point ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Robust Solution ◽  
Functional Product ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Consistent Solution ◽  
Production Solutions

Abstract With the recent advances in the additive manufacturing (AM) production technologies, AM is becoming more common in today’s industry, nowadays is a normal practice to use this solution either to test a new prototype or to manufacture a functional product. The increase application is mainly due to significant developments in the production solutions of the AM. These recent developments are resulting in an increase search for new and more efficient production solutions. This search is always focused in producing more efficiently, with a greater variety of materials and produce part with better quality and proprieties. From an industrial point of view, one of the types of additive manufacturing that is increasing the percentage of use is the selective laser sintering (SLS) technologies. Although this process was first used in the mid-80’s, it has shown great developments in the recent years. This evolution of the process allowed it to become a solid solution even if it is highly time consuming, especially when compared with other types of addictive manufacturing. From the several aspects that make the SLS a robust solution is the fact that it offers a consistent solution to produce high complex part with good mechanical properties, and also the ability to use many core materials, from polymers, metal alloy, ceramics or even composites materials. Due to the fact that the production of part using SLS technologies takes a long time, shows the relevance to study the entire process in order to quantify the time spent in each stage a very important step. This study can be conducted with two major goals, in one hand to be able to predict the build time needed to complete a predetermined task, and in other hand, to improve the overall efficiency of the process based on the knowledge acquired in the previous analysis. These two aspects are important because they allow the machine operator to choose the production plan more carefully and also to know all the parameters of the process to make it more efficient. In this paper will be presented a survey of the major stages of a SLS process in order to quantify the time consumed in each one of the stages, and if possible, determine solution to reduce the time spent. To better understand the topic the paper will be divided according to the proprieties and time consumed in each of the elements of the process. In other words, it will be divided accordingly to a machine, laser and material point of view. Furthermore, this paper will be focused in the SLS process and the productions based in a polymeric powder, therefore also containing aspects related to the power source used.

Development of a Design for Additive Manufacturing Worksheet for Medical Casts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heena Noh ◽  
Kijung Park ◽  
Kiwon Park ◽  
Gül E. Okudan Kremer
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Design For Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Novice Designers ◽  
Criteria Importance ◽  
Design For Am

Abstract Traditional plaster casts often cause dermatitis due to disadvantages in usability and wearability. Additive manufacturing (AM) can fabricate customized casts to have light-weight, high strength, and better air permeability. Although existing studies have provided design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) guidelines to facilitate design applications for AM, most relevant studies focused on the mechanical properties of outputs and too general/specific design guidelines; novice designers may still have difficulty understanding trade-offs between functional and operational performance of various DfAM aspects for medical casts. As a response, this study proposes a DfAM worksheet for medical casts to effectively guide novice designers. First, important DfAM criteria and their possible solutions for medical casts are examined through a literature review to construct a basic DfAM framework for medical casts. Next, a scoring system that considers relative criteria importance and criteria evaluation from both functional and operational perspectives is developed to identify the overall suitability of a medical cast design for AM. A case study of finger cast designs was performed to identify the DfAM performance of the sample designs along with redesign requirements suggested by the worksheet. The proposed worksheet would be used to achieve rapid medical cast design by objectively assessing its suitability for AM.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Readiness Level of Additively Manufactured Digital Spare Parts: An Industrial Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Kretzschmar ◽  
Sergei Chekurov ◽  
Mika Salmi ◽  
Jukka Tuomi
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Spare Part ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Supply Networks ◽  
Readiness Level ◽  
End Use ◽  
Technological Limitations

Additive manufacturing of digital spare parts offers promising new possibilities for companies to drastically shorten lead times and to omit storage costs. However, the concept of digital spare parts has not yet gained much footing in the manufacturing industry. This study aims to identify grounds for its selective rejection. Conducted from a corporate perspective, outlining a holistic supply chain network structure to visualize different digital spare part distribution scenarios, this survey study evaluates technical and economic additive manufacturing capabilities. Results are analyzed and discussed further by applying the Mann-Whitney test to examine the influence of the company size and the presence of 3D-printed end-use components within supply networks on gathered data. Machines’ limited build chamber volumes and the necessity of post-processing are considered as the main technical challenges of current additive manufacturing processes. Furthermore, it can be concluded that company sizes have a significant effect on perceived technological limitations. Overall, the results lead to the conclusion that the readiness level of the digital spare parts concept demands for further development.

Trajectory Planning for Conformal 3D Printing Using Non-Planar Layers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniruddha V. Shembekar ◽  
Yeo Jung Yoon ◽  
Alec Kanyuck ◽  
Satyandra K. Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Industrial Robots ◽  
Complex Geometries ◽  
Robot Arm ◽  
Joint Movement ◽  
Tool Orientation ◽  
3D Objects ◽  
Planar Surfaces ◽  
Build Time

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been widely used to fabricate 3D objects quickly and cost-effectively. However, building parts consisting of complex geometries with multiple curvatures can be a challenging process for the traditional AM system whose capability is restricted to planar-layered printing. Using 6-DOF industrial robots for AM overcomes this limitation by allowing materials to deposit on non-planar surfaces with desired tool orientation. In this paper, we present collision-free trajectory planning for printing using non-planar deposition. Trajectory parameters subject to surface curvature are properly controlled to avoid any collision with printing surface. We have implemented our approach by using a 6-DOF robot arm. The complex 3D structures with various curvatures were successfully fabricated, while avoiding any failures in joint movement, holding comparable build time and completing with a satisfactory surface finish.

Managing Complexity in Manufacturing Changeovers: A Sustainable Manufacturing-Oriented Approach and the Application Case Study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Mustafa ◽  
Kai Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Manufacturing Complexity ◽  
Oriented Approach

Increasing manufacturing complexity continues to be one of the most significant challenges facing the manufacturing industry today. Due to these rapid changes in manufacturing systems, one of the most important factors affecting production is recognized as the frequent production setup or changeovers, consequently affecting the overall production lead times and competitiveness of the company. Developing responsive production setup and process capability is increasingly important as product ranges and varieties in manufacturing companies are growing rapidly and, at the same time, production business models are operating more towards being customer-oriented. Furthermore, although different conventional methods have been used to manage complexity in production changeovers, sustainability and competitiveness development in a manufacturing company needs to be scientifically addressed by managing manufacturing complexity. In this paper, a sustainable manufacturing-oriented approach is presented in mind of managing manufacturing changeover complexities. A case study is carried out specifically concerning changeover complexity in a pharmaceutical company, aiming at minimizing complexities in production changeover and waste, increasing plant flexibility and productivity, and ultimately the sustainable competitiveness of the company in managing manufacturing changes.

scholarly journals DECOMPOSITION ALGORITHM FOR TOOL PATH PLANNING FOR WIRE-ARC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

2018 ◽  
Vol Vol.18 (No.1) ◽  
pp. 96-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lam NGUYEN ◽  
Johannes BUHL ◽  
Markus BAMBACH
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Path Planning ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Tool Path ◽  
Heuristic Method ◽  
Support Material ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Cad Models ◽  
Aided Design ◽  
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Three-axis machines are limited in the production of geometrical features in powder-bed additive manufacturing processes. In case of overhangs, support material has to be added due to the nature of the process, which causes some disadvantages. Robot-based wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is able to fabricate overhangs without adding support material. Hence, build time, waste of material, and post-processing might be reduced considerably. In order to make full use of multi-axis advantages, slicing strategies are needed. To this end, the CAD (computer-aided design) model of the part to be built is first partitioned into sub-parts, and for each sub-part, an individual build direction is identified. Path planning for these sub-parts by slicing then enables to produce the parts. This study presents a heuristic method to deal with the decomposition of CAD models and build direction identification for sub-entities. The geometric data of two adjacent slices are analyzed to construct centroidal axes. These centroidal axes are used to navigate the slicing and building processes. A case study and experiments are presented to exemplify the algorithm.

scholarly journals Design and Validation of Integrated Clamping Interfaces for Post-Processing and Robotic Handling in Additive Manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Ferchow ◽  
Dominik Kälin ◽  
Gokula Englberger ◽  
Marcel Schlüssel ◽  
Christoph Klahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Machining Process ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Maximum Displacement ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Clean Interface ◽  
Tool Accessibility ◽  
Form Deviation ◽  
Metallic Parts ◽  
Subtractive Machining

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (LPBF), enables the fabrication of complex and customized metallic parts. However, 20–40% of the total manufacturing costs are usually attributed to post-processing steps. To reduce the costs of extensive post-processing, the process chain for AM parts has to be automated. Accordingly, robotic gripping and handling processes, as well as an efficient clamping for subtractive machining of AM parts, are key challenges. This study introduces and validates integrated bolts acting as a handling and clamping interface of AM parts. The bolts are integrated into the part design and manufactured in the same LPBF process. The bolts can be easily removed after the machining process using a wrench. This feasibility study investigates different bolt elements. The experiments and simulations conducted in the study show that a force of 250 N resulted in a maximum displacement of 12.5 µm. The milling results of the LPBF parts reveal a maximum roughness value, Ra, of 1.42 µm, which is comparable to that of a standard clamping system. After the bolt removal, a maximum residual height of 0.067 mm remains. Two case studies are conducted to analyze the form deviation, the effect of bolts on build time and material volume and to demonstrate the application of the bolts. Thus, the major contribution of this study is the design and the validation of standardized interfaces for robotic handling and clamping of complex AM parts. The novelties are a simple and clean interface removal, less material consumption, less support structure required and finally an achievement of a five-side tool accessibility by combining the interfaces with a three-jaw chuck.

Increasing Part Accuracy in Additive Manufacturing Processes Using a k-d Tree Based Clustered Adaptive Layering

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj Panhalkar ◽  
Ratnadeep Paul ◽  
Sam Anand
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
Adaptive Slicing ◽  
Stl File ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Standard File Format ◽  
Aided Design ◽  
Profile Errors

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.

Maximizing design potential: investigating the effects of utilizing opportunistic and restrictive design for additive manufacturing in rapid response solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Prabhu ◽  
Jordan Scott Masia ◽  
Joseph T. Berthel ◽  
Nicholas Alexander Meisel ◽  
Timothy W. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Design For Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Efficiency ◽  
Material Usage ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Rapid Prototyping And Manufacturing ◽  
Design For Am

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous innovative engineering design solutions, several of which leverage the rapid prototyping and manufacturing capabilities of additive manufacturing. This paper aims to study a subset of these solutions for their utilization of design for AM (DfAM) techniques and investigate the effects of DfAM utilization on the creativity and manufacturing efficiency of these solutions. Design/methodology/approach This study compiled 26 COVID-19-related solutions designed for AM spanning three categories: (1) face shields (N = 6), (2) face masks (N = 12) and (3) hands-free door openers (N = 8). These solutions were assessed for (1) DfAM utilization, (2) manufacturing efficiency and (3) creativity. The relationships between these assessments were then computed using generalized linear models to investigate the influence of DfAM utilization on manufacturing efficiency and creativity. Findings It is observed that (1) unique and original designs scored lower in their AM suitability, (2) solutions with higher complexity scored higher on usefulness and overall creativity and (3) solutions with higher complexity had higher build cost, build time and material usage. These findings highlight the need to account for both opportunistic and restrictive DfAM when evaluating solutions designed for AM. Balancing the two DfAM perspectives can support the development of solutions that are creative and consume fewer build resources. Originality/value DfAM evaluation tools primarily focus on AM limitations to help designers avoid build failures. This paper proposes the need to assess designs for both, their opportunistic and restrictive DfAM utilization to appropriately assess the manufacturing efficiency of designs and to realize the creative potential of adopting AM.

Favoring Complexity: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Factors That Influence Concept Selection When Designing for Additive Manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Prabhu ◽  
Rainmar L. Leguarda ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller ◽  
Timothy W. Simpson ◽  
Nicholas A. Meisel
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Concept Selection ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Build Time ◽  
Traditional Manufacturing ◽  
Selection Stage

Abstract The capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM) open up designers’ solution space and enable them to build designs previously impossible through traditional manufacturing (TM). To leverage this design freedom, designers must emphasize opportunistic design for AM (DfAM), i.e., design techniques that leverage AM capabilities. Additionally, designers must also emphasize restrictive DfAM, i.e., design considerations that account for AM limitations, to ensure that their designs can be successfully built. Therefore, designers must adopt a “dual” design mindset—emphasizing both, opportunistic and restrictive DfAM—when designing for AM. However, to leverage AM capabilities, designers must not only generate creative ideas for AM but also select these creative ideas during the concept selection stage. Design educators must specifically emphasize selecting creative ideas in DfAM, as ideas perceived as infeasible through the traditional design for manufacturing lens may now be feasible with AM. This emphasis could prevent creative but feasible ideas from being discarded due to their perceived infeasibility. While several studies have discussed the role of DfAM in encouraging creative idea generation, there is a need to investigate concept selection in DfAM. In this paper, we investigated the effects of four variations in DfAM education: (1) restrictive, (2) opportunistic, (3) restrictive followed by opportunistic (R-O), and (4) opportunistic followed by restrictive (O-R), on students’ concept selection process. We compared the creativity of the concepts generated by students to the creativity of the concepts they selected. The creativity of designs was measured on four dimensions: (1) uniqueness, (2) usefulness, (3) technical goodness, and (4) overall creativity. We also performed qualitative analyses to gain insight into the rationale provided by students when making their design decisions. From the results, we see that only teams from the restrictive and dual O-R groups selected ideas of higher uniqueness and overall creativity. In contrast, teams from the dual R-O DfAM group selected ideas of lower uniqueness compared with the mean uniqueness of ideas generated. Finally, we see that students trained in opportunistic DfAM emphasized minimizing build material the most, whereas those trained only in restrictive DfAM emphasized minimizing build time. These results highlight the need for DfAM education to encourage AM designers to not just generate creative ideas but also have the courage to select them for the next stage of design.

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