2022/05/30
Robot-assisted additive manufacturing of multifunctional composites
Laboratoire de mécanique Multi-échelles (LM2), Safran Group, Ariane Group, Canadian Space Agency, NanoXplore, MEKANIC, Solaxis, NRC (Ongoing since early 2018)
Objectives
Multifunctionality of parts (e.g., enhanced acoustic and mechanical properties), Automation, Manufacturing complex and more performant parts, Reducing cost and weight, Rapid manufacturing of large parts.
Background
Additive manufacturing (AM) allows the layer-by-layer fabrication of parts featuring complex geometries that usually cannot be achieved using conventional manufacturing methods (e.g., injection molding). This technology provides design freedom, reliability and cost-effectiveness (e.g., no capital investment when starting a new production). Various industries, including aerospace and transportation, have taken major steps towards incorporating AM technologies, mainly Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), relying on thermoplastics into their activities (e.g., manufacturing custom components, part repairs). The current activities of the aerospace industry are focusing on using AM to manufacture tooling, fixtures and some limited parts. This industry is also exploring the use of AM for the manufacturing of customized non structural parts. Our goal at the Laboratory of Multiscale Mechanics (LM2) at Polytechnique Montreal is to manufacture large-scale industrially-approved parts featuring multifunctionality, shape complexity and lightweight by further development of AM technologies (i.e., FFF and extrusion-based direct-writing of thermosetting materials).
The challenge
Commercial 3D printers designed for the industry are offering large build envelope (up to 914 × 610 × 914 mm3) while choices of material filaments are still very limited. Moreover, this current AM technology largely operates in a closed-source environment: the users cannot modify the printing parameters and the materials are provided only by the printer manufacturer at a very high cost. The open-source FFF process is currently in the early stage of development with several important issues to be solved such as: (1) limited availability of commercial high-performance thermoplastic filaments, (2) limited operating temperature not compatible with high temperature-resistant thermoplastics, (3) relatively weak mechanical properties of the printed parts when compared to the same parts obtained by traditional manufacturing processes, (4) relatively small printing envelope, and (5) very low production rates.