Introduction to Additive Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Composites - A395
| Introduction to Additive Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Composites | |
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| Perspectives article | |
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| Document Type | Article |
| Document Identifier | 395 |
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Webinar Date
Presenter
Daniel Therriault
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Introduction[edit | edit source]
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a family of several joining processes that enables the layer-by-layer fabrication of structures featuring complex geometries that usually cannot be achieved using conventional manufacturing methods (e.g., injection molding, machining). AM offers numerous benefits and drives innovation through design freedom, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. It enables the rapid, tool-free fabrication of high-performance, multifunctional, lightweight, and sustainable composite materials and structures. The AM of composites allows for the creation of parts that are both complex in shape and that exhibit high specific strength and stiffness.
This webinar presents an introduction to AM technologies with a focus on the material-extrusion 3D printing processes for thermoplastic composites reinforced with short (e.g., chopped) and continuous carbon fibers. The three main material-extrusion-based 3D printing processes discussed are the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), the Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) and the Continuous Fiber Fabrication (CFF). For each process, a few examples of commercial and industrial 3D printers and their main characteristics and limitations are mentioned. More advanced AM methods featuring non-planar, large-scale manufacturing, high productivity, multi-material printing are introduced. Two case studies are described with emphasis on the printer components, the processing challenges and some solutions investigated so far. Some examples of industrial applications of the AM of composites are briefly mentioned to conclude.
Presenter[edit | edit source]
Daniel Therriault
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal
Webinar[edit | edit source]
Webinar slides[edit | edit source]
Webinar slides available by clicking on the icon below
Additional information for select chapters[edit | edit source]
| Chapter | Chapter Title | Links to related information in the Knowledge in Practice Centre |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome & introductions | N/A |
| 2 | Knowledge in Practice Centre | |
| 3 | Outline | Coming soon |
| 4 | Introduction to additive manufacturing | N/A |
| 5 | Challenges to 3D printing of composites | N/A |
| 6 | Types of additive manufacturing methods | Coming soon |
| 7 | Fused filament fabrication | Coming soon |
| 8 | Fused granulate fabrication | Coming soon |
| 9 | Continuous fibre fabrication | Coming soon |
| 10 | Circular economy in AM of composites | |
| 11 | Industry questions | N/A |
| 12 | Q&A | N/A |
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| About | Help |
Welcome
Welcome to the CKN Knowledge in Practice Centre (KPC). The KPC is a resource for learning and applying scientific knowledge to the practice of composites manufacturing. As you navigate around the KPC, refer back to the information on this right-hand pane as a resource for understanding the intricacies of composites processing and why the KPC is laid out in the way that it is. The following video explains the KPC approach:
Understanding Composites Processing
The Knowledge in Practice Centre (KPC) is centered around a structured method of thinking about composite material manufacturing. From the top down, the heirarchy consists of:
- The factory
- Factory cells and/or the factory layout
- Process steps (embodied in the factory process flow) consisting of:
The way that the material, shape, tooling & consumables and equipment (abbreviated as MSTE) interact with each other during a process step is critical to the outcome of the manufacturing step, and ultimately critical to the quality of the finished part. The interactions between MSTE during a process step can be numerous and complex, but the Knowledge in Practice Centre aims to make you aware of these interactions, understand how one parameter affects another, and understand how to analyze the problem using a systems based approach. Using this approach, the factory can then be developed with a complete understanding and control of all interactions.
Interrelationship of Function, Shape, Material & Process
Design for manufacturing is critical to ensuring the producibility of a part. Trouble arises when it is considered too late or not at all in the design process. Conversely, process design (controlling the interactions between shape, material, tooling & consumables and equipment to achieve a desired outcome) must always consider the shape and material of the part. Ashby has developed and popularized the approach linking design (function) to the choice of material and shape, which influence the process selected and vice versa, as shown below:
Within the Knowledge in Practice Centre the same methodology is applied but the process is more fully defined by also explicitly calling out the equipment and tooling & consumables. Note that in common usage, a process which consists of many steps can be arbitrarily defined by just one step, e.g. "spray-up". Though convenient, this can be misleading.
Workflows
The KPC's Practice and Case Study volumes consist of three types of workflows:
- Development - Analyzing the interactions between MSTE in the process steps to make decisions on processing parameters and understanding how the process steps and factory cells fit within the factory.
- Troubleshooting - Guiding you to possible causes of processing issues affecting either cost, rate or quality and directing you to the most appropriate development workflow to improve the process
- Optimization - An expansion on the development workflows where a larger number of options are considered to achieve the best mixture of cost, rate & quality for your application.
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