The additive manufacturing of metallic and polymer materials has become increasingly important in recent years due to a wide variety of research activities and the availability of commercial printing systems. On the one hand, this process enables spare parts to be manufactured at very short notice, thus offering low inventory levels and rapid (just-in-time) spare parts availability in the interests of efficient logistics. Particularly with regard to the logistical challenges of existing weapon systems, this can open up new opportunities. On the other hand, it also offers much greater design possibilities for the development of new components, since additive manufacturing is usually subject to significantly fewer manufacturing restrictions.
While the additive manufacturing of metals and unreinforced or short- or long-fiber-reinforced plastics is well developed, there is hardly any usable knowledge available so far for continuous-fiber-reinforced plastics. Although there are already some smaller companies working on the development of appropriate printing systems, commercial solutions are not yet available. In addition, some of these solutions are still based on a layer-by-layer process, so that the production of true three-dimensional reinforced structures is not possible. However, in order to take full advantage of fiber-reinforced structures, this aspect is of key importance.
To address these issues, we are developing an approach that designs both the optimal topology and fiber paths for a given structure. The goal is to design and print 3D optimized structural components and ultimately extend the approach to multi-axis robotic systems.
