Laboratory for additive manufacturing

Teaching

The laboratory for additive manufacturing offers opportunities to study additive manufacturing technologies, both in their system and process technology and in their direct application. The possibility of practical studies is currently given with the availability of various Desktop Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) systems, but is to be expanded in the near future, especially in the context of student work. In the context of the additive manufacturing laboratory, an interdisciplinary work area is thus being created in which students can apply, consolidate and specifically expand their theoretical specialist knowledge.

Focus points of work

FDM sector:

Robot arm-guided FDM – In addition to the possibility of correcting shape and position, the pressure on components with tolerances also offers potential with regard to extended design freedom and functional integration. Research focuses on the implementation of non-contact methods for recording the actual contour, the development of multi-axis path planning, the creation of fibre-reinforced hybrid structures and the production of intelligent components through sensor integration.
Scaled FDM – System development, implementation and development of process strategies, e.g. for the production of structural components with deposition rates of several kilograms.

Area of powder bed-based processes:

Multimaterial processing in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) – system development, implementation and development of process strategies, design of multi-material components and related design methodology, functionally integrated adaptronic systems.

Further in the field of additive manufacturing:

Holistic process automation - system development, implementation and development of process strategies in terms of a self-sufficient production line.

Interesting techniques

Digital Light Processing (DLP)/ LCD-based printing, stereolithography - the techniques mentioned above produce components by means of selective photopolymerisation. In DLP and LCD-based processes the imaging of the successively layered component cross-sections is done by projecting them with a projector or LCD panel. In SLA, the component cross-section is solidified by scanning it with a laser beam.

As a hand-guided optical measuring system, the 3D scanners of the laboratory for additive manufacturing can be used to digitise various geometries. Based on the scan data, reverse modelling of the component can then take place, for example.

In FDM, plastic wires as well as plastic granulates are melted and extruded from a nozzle. The product is formed layer by layer by means of relative movement between the surface to be printed and the extruder.