Relevance
Usually, rapid prototyping is associated with Additive Manufacturing, with the difference that functional components can also be created. The great advantage is that due to the successive layered structure, objects of any geometry can be produced which are limited by conventional methods. This is an enormous advantage, especially for high-performance components. Advances in Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) are attracting the interest of a wide range of industries for quality, accuracy and durability. An example of this is aviation and medical technology, which has a large number of applications in the manufacture of prostheses.
Problem Definition and Focus
Due to the boom in the 3D printing industry, interest in functional components is also growing rapidly. Due to the freedom of design and the mobile usability of 3D printers, the interest of the defence industry and the military is also increasing, where the production of necessary components is often required in areas that are difficult to access. In our institute, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), which is used for the production of polymers, and Selective Laser Melting (SLM), which is used for the production of spare parts and optimized components, are common processes.
The focus here is on the one hand on the design adapted to additive manufacturing processes and the resulting effects in the process chain for the production of 3D printing components.
In this context, we focus on the following research priorities:
- IT process chain for 3D printing compatible designs
- Reverse engineering of spare parts for 3D printing
- Computer-aided simulations and topology optimization