RWTH Aachen University Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

AM 4 Industry Project Introduces Cost-Benefit Tool for Identifying Possible 3D Printing Business Cases

It can be difficult for companies in the manufacturing industry to decide if they should adopt additive manufacturing technology into their workflow, as they have to contend with lengthy trial and error and incomplete or incorrect information. That’s why it’s so important to disseminate good information about 3D printing and encourage widespread adoption – only by integrating AM into the value chain can these companies achieve an advantage over competitors. For instance, less fuel consumption, and therefore less cost, due to the use of 3D printed lightweight components can only be truly measured over the lifetime of the part, not just the first time you try it.

Tobias Schröer and Sören Münker from the Research Institute for Rationalization (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University, recognized the need for a holistic model that can, at an early stage of development, realistically compare the costs and technological advantages of using 3D printing, in order to help businesses speed up decision-making processes and determine helpful benefits. The researchers are part of the Collective Research Network (CORNET) project AM 4 Industry (AM4I), led by the privately managed agency Ecoplus Plastics and Mechatronics Cluster in Austria, and as part of the project, created an advanced, yet practical, cost-benefit tool that helps companies investigate and determine which components would be well-suited for 3D printing.

“Capturing the potential of additive manufacturing and exploiting it is a major practical challenge,” stated Schröer, Head of Production Management at the RWTH Aachen and co-developer of the cost-benefit model. “The cost-benefit tool clearly shows how to identify possible business cases by comparing costs and benefits at an early stage.”

According to its website, the goal of the AM4I network’s project is to “provide an approach for a supply-chain- and lifecycle-wide concept that enables producing companies implementing additive manufacturing in an economical way.”

“In order to reach this goal it is necessary to include the whole value chain, including the quality and process assurance of the pre-AM-process, the AM-process, the post-AM-process,” the website states.

“The overall innovation target is to develop a platform model incorporating design, additive manufacturing and finishing aspects.”

51 companies and eight research partners from Austria, Belgium, and Germany researched successful industrial use cases of 3D printing for the project, which was financially supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG. By creating these models, AM4I hoped to help companies successfully adopt and integrate 3D printing into their production workflow for real life business cases.

The new cost-benefit tool allows for identification and evaluation of 3D printing usage in terms of generated benefits, as well as cost. This model helps businesses assess, in a structured way, the cost-benefit ratio for components and parts by recognizing and endorsing AM advantages and product characteristics that can be optimized with the technology. To find the applications with the most economic promise for 3D printing, the tool accounts for the full life cycle of a product, all the way from design, engineering and production to quality check, service, and after-sales. This helps industrial users compare and contrast various methods of production for different parts.

You can find a summary of the Cornet AM4I project results here.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

The post AM 4 Industry Project Introduces Cost-Benefit Tool for Identifying Possible 3D Printing Business Cases appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Fraunhofer ILT: Making Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Cutting Tools with LPBF 3D Printing

Obviously, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT does a lot of work with lasers, and, in the same vein, with metal 3D printing processes that use lasers. Now, it’s teaming up with scientists from the Institute for Materials Applications in Mechanical Engineering IWM and the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL, both at RWTH Aachen University, to investigate laser processes for the 3D printing of cutting tools made of tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co).

The new AiF project – “Additive Manufacturing of Machining Tools out of WC-Co – AM of WC-Co” – began on October 1st 2019 and will last for 30 months; funding is provided by the Otto von Guericke e.V. working group of industrial research associations.

Cutting tools made of WC-Co are very heat- and wear-resistant, which is what one generally wants in this type of application, but it’s not easy to use conventional methods of manufacturing to create them. Complex sintering processes are currently used, but it’s not ideal, as only a restricted amount of geometrical freedom is possible, and it’s expensive and difficult to introduce complex cooling structures into the tools as well.

The process development aims to generate a homogeneous, almost dense structure of the WC-Co-composite, as shown here in this SEM measurement. [Image: Institute for Materials Applications in Mechanical Engineering IWM, RWTH Aachen University]

One of the project goals is to create cutting tools with integrated complex cooling geometries in order to ensure longer tool life. That’s why the Aachen researchers are looking into Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) 3D printing for WC-Co cutting tool fabrication, which offers near-net-shape production for generation of cooling structures within these tools, and far more design freedom. This technology requires users to carefully choose their process and material parameters in order to create components with strength that’s comparable to what could be achieved with conventional manufacturing methods.

For the past few years, Fraunhofer ILT scientists have been researching a major problem in the LPBF process – temperature distribution in the part. Conventional systems slow down the cooling process with a heated base plate, but with LPBF, the metal powder is melted where the laser touches it and cools down quickly, which can cause cracks and tension.

Fraunhofer ILT has been working with adphos Innovative Technologies GmbH on this issue, and together the two created a system which uses a near-infrared (NIR) emitter to heat the component from above to over 800°C. This system is what Fraunhofer ILT and its fellow Aachen researchers are using to process tungsten carbide-cobalt material for cutting tools in the “AM of WC-Co” project.

Under the scope of the project, the researchers are investigating the process route all the way from powder formation and 3D printing to post-processing and testing the components. Together, they will qualify the materials and processes that will replace complex sintering processes in fabricating these cutting tools.

Preheating the machining plane with the NIR module significantly reduces stresses in the laser-manufactured component. [Image: Fraunhofer ILT]

3D printed WC-Co cutting tools will have a hardness comparable to those made with conventional manufacturing methods, but because of the cooling structures that the LPBF process can be used to create, they will have a longer service life. Additionally, the NIR emitter system developed by Fraunhofer ILT and adphos can lay the groundwork for processing refractory alloy systems in the future.

At formnext 2019, in Frankfurt from November 19-22, you can stop by the Fraunhofer Additive Manufacturing Alliance booth D51 in Hall 11 to learn more about the collaborative “AM of Wc-CO” project.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

[Source: Fraunhofer ILT]

The post Fraunhofer ILT: Making Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Cutting Tools with LPBF 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Big Push in Germany to Enable 3D Printing in Automotive Industry

3D printing and additive manufacturing have become a matter of national importance in Germany, and to the automotive industry overall. Several organizations—along with the ongoing support of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and the Chair for Digital Additive Production DAP of RWTH Aachen University—are eager to see the Industrialization and Digitization of Additive Manufacturing for Automotive Series Processes (IDAM) lead the way for furthering the use of AM processes in the auto industry. Project partners for IDAM include a variety of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and research institutions, all dedicated to the progress of metallic 3D printing for the manufacturing of vehicles.

BMW Group is behind much of this push, and their dedication to additive manufacturing for almost 30 years has not gone unnoticed. From an investment in a new AM facility in Munich to specialized projects like restoring Elvis’ long-lost BMW 507 from 1958, their work in 3D printing has been so prolific that by last year they had fabricated over one million parts, harnessing the untold power of this progressive technology. Currently, 3D printing and AM processes with metal are in force at BMW’s facility in Munich, along with GKN Powder Metallurgy’s factory in Bonn.

This structural optimized differential housing, jointly developed by GKN Powder Metallurgy and Porsche Engineering, is one of the growing new e-drive powertrain applications for Metal AM (Photo: GKN Powder Metallurgy)

There are 12 partners total working within the ongoing project via IDAM, and as Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT points out in their latest press release, the use of metallic 3D printing should ‘sustainably strengthen Germany’s technological pioneering role and the country itself as a manufacturing location.’ Everyone involved is obviously envisioning making use of all of 3D printing’s most famed benefits, beginning with greater affordability. Along with that comes exponential reduction of turnaround time in manufacturing, and the ability to offer a wide range of customization options for clientele.

The IDAM team is present at both facilities, qualifying the technology for production of metal parts, with projections for manufacturing at least 50,000 3D printed parts annually. They also expect over 10,000 individual and spare parts to be created. This is a far cry from the initial use of 3D printing for low-batch production of customized parts. Even with plans for mass production, the partners expect high-performance parts to be created ‘under extreme cost pressure.’

Project partners include:

Aconity GmbH, Herzogenrath
Concept Reply GmbH, Munich
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Aachen
GKN Powder Metallurgy, Radevormwald
Myrenne GmbH, Roetgen
Intec GmbH – Ingenieurbüro für Automatisierungstechnik, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
Kinexon Industries GmbH, Munich
Chair for Digital Additive Production DAP, RWTH Aachen, Aachen
Technical University of Munich, Chair of Metal Forming and Casting, Munich
Schmitz Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH, Rheinbreitbach
Volkmann GmbH, Soest

Additive series production at the BMW Group (Photo: BMW Group)

This activity truly marks the beginning of metal AM taking a prioritized role within Germany’s industrial dynamic, with two modular production lines being installed (one in Munich; one in Bonn). Customization is key here too, as modules can be changed to fit production needs.

“In addition, their process steps can be controlled and utilized flexibly,” states Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in their press release. “By taking an integrated view of the automotive production line into account, the project partners plan on reducing the manual share of activities along the process chain from currently around 35 percent to less than 5 percent. In addition, the unit costs of 3D printed metal components should be more than halved.”

The IDAM partners are currently using their experience and expertise in designing modules for the mass production line, to include automated processes for powder handling, monitoring, post-processing, and more.

“Since large industrial companies are involved, these linked modules can be used in the AM production lines under real conditions and on a large scale,” explains the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT release. “In addition, industrial standards can be set, and industry-relevant quality characteristics elaborated. Only through this interdisciplinary cooperation does the IDAM project make it possible to holistically examine metallic 3D printing for automotive series processes and to establish it sustainably in production.”

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

Consortium of the BMBF project IDAM at the kick-off in Munich on March 27, 2019 (Photo: BMW Group)

[Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology IL]

3D Printing News CrAMmed, University of Maryland, SUTD, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen University

Welcome to CrAMmed, the first edition of our 3D printing digest based on the latest academic additive manufacturing research. Today, CrAMmed details the latest applications for 3D printed molds from the Ming Chi University of Technology; 3D printed microfluidic circuitry for medical devices and pharmaceuticals from the University of Maryland; as well as 3D printed […]

Researchers Complete Comprehensive Evaluation of Manufacturing Methods, Including 3D Printing, for Impellers

EDM and ECM finishing of near-net-shape turbo charger wheels produced by additive manufacturing and investment casting.

Combustion engines uses turbochargers to boost their performance. But, for multiple reasons, there isn’t a conventional process chain for economically manufacturing the component. A team of researchers from RWTH Aachen University and Robert Bosch GmbH recognized the need for a comprehensive evaluation of alternative manufacturing methods for impellers – 3D printing isn’t the only way – and set out to deliver. They published their results in a paper, titled “Technological and Economical Assessment of Alternative Process Chains for Turbocharger Impeller Manufacture.”

The abstract reads, “In this paper, different manufacturing chains consisting of pre-finishing and finishing of near-net-shape parts are compared to each other for a given example geometry. Electrochemical as well as Electrical Discharge Machining technologies are taken into account as alternatives for conventional milling and grinding processes for the finishing of cast blanks or samples produced by additive manufacturing. Based on a technological analysis a cost comparison is executed, which allows an economical assessment of the different process chains regarding given boundary conditions and varying production quantities.”

In addition to electrochemical (ECM) and electrical discharge machining (EDM) technologies, the team also looked at wire-based technology variants (WEDM/WECM) for outer straight geometries, and 3D-(Sinking)-based technologies for inner flow ones. They completed a cost comparison of the methods, based on technological analysis, which, as the researchers wrote, “allows an economical assessment of the different process chains regarding boundary conditions and production quantities.”

Turbocharger wheels – blank manufacturing by investment casting (near-net-shape and finish contour) or additive manufacturing and conventional finishing by milling and grinding

“In a first step a technological process analysis took place for both alternative primary shaping processes of turbocharger wheel blanks and for finish machining of near-net-shape geometries by conventional as well as unconventional advanced machining processes,” the researchers wrote. “Target values were a geometrical precision better than 0.05 mm and a minimum surface roughness of Rz = 4 µm.”

Fine investment casting can be used to manufacture a blank with defined material allowance, as well as electron beam melting (EBM) 3D printing, though the latter with require post processing because of insufficient geometrical precision and a rough surface. It’s possible to finish with 5-axis milling, but due to extensive tool wear, it will require a lot of effort. The team determined that abrasive flow machining and vibratory grinding would not work.

“All technological necessary efforts have been evaluated and aggregated in a production cost ratio relative to the standard investment casting process as basis,” the team wrote in the paper. “This includes tool costs (purchase costs and life time), raw material costs (melt / powder material), energy (average energy consumption) and working costs (salary and multiple machine work) as well as machine costs (investment, net book value, space, maintenance, machining time per part) for main and secondary process like hot isostatic pressing (HIP) – imperative for the EBM parts – and washing. Additional industrial boundary conditions were a yearly lot size of 150,000 parts and working time of 4,800 h. The earnings per worker amounts to 43.75 €/h, the energy price and monthly space costs are 0.128 €/kWh and 12 €/m² respectively. The imputed interest rate is 10 %.”

Production costs of different primary shaping and finish machining as well as handling processes relative to the investment casting process.

Alternative EDM- and ECM-based processes were also included in the diagram.

The researchers explained that the microstructures from 3D printing and casting processes had a major influence on the final surface roughness. In addition, the ECM-processed material was analyzed, and basic EDM research showed that for the TiAl material, the correct electrical polarity had to be clarified. By applying a new flushing concept based on WECM, the team was able to achieve higher ECM cutting rates in a “competitive order of magnitude of 20 mm²/min also for macroscopic workpiece heights.”

EDM and ECM applications for finishing turbo charger wheels.

It was determined that, under the boundary conditions laid down, 3D-EDM is not a competitive or efficient single process, but 3D-ECM is, when compared to 5-axis milling. Additionally, WEDM and WECM showed low costs.

“It can be concluded that the process chains involving 3DEDM are not suitable as their cost ratios are higher than 300 % of the reference but the ECM variants reveal significant advantages due to much lower cost ratios. In addition for the basis costs, the AM produced raw blanks reveal lower cost ratios compared to the investment casted ones – even for the given series production,” the researchers wrote.

These results are due to the specific material properties of the TiAl material. Because of low costs for the outer geometry finishing, the contour casted samples also had higher cost ratios.

“As a conclusion – for the given boundary conditions – the process chain including 3DECM and WECM of AM produced blank wheels achieved the lowest costs and was therefore the most efficient one,” the researchers wrote. “Further work should include detailed studies on surface integrity for the different machining processes and appropriate positioning.”

Co-authors of the paper are A. Klink, M. Hlavac, T. Herrig, and M. Holsten.

High speed metal 3D printing earns award for Fraunhofer ILT

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) and RWTH Aachen University have won an award for development of Extreme High-Speed Laser Material Deposition (EHLA). In place since 2000, the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis is one of the most prestigious awards in laser technology, and is presented every two years by a panel of experts from science and industry. Stressing […]