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13 pages, 3603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Process Parameters on the Quality of Laser-Cut Stainless Steel Thin Plates

by Irene Buj-Corral, Lluís Costa-Herrero and Alejandro Domínguez-Fernández

Metals 2021, 11(8), 1224; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11081224 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2714

Abstract

At present, laser cutting is currently employed to cut metallic plates, due to their good finish and dimensional quality, as well as because of the flexibility of the process to obtain different shapes. In the present paper, surface roughness, dimensional accuracy, and burr [...] Read more.

At present, laser cutting is currently employed to cut metallic plates, due to their good finish and dimensional quality, as well as because of the flexibility of the process to obtain different shapes. In the present paper, surface roughness, dimensional accuracy, and burr thickness of thin plates of 0.8 mm are studied as functions of different process parameters: pulse frequency, pulse width, and speed. Eight different experiments were performed according to a full 2³ factorial design, with two replicates each. Square specimens of 10 mm × 10 mm were cut. Arithmetical mean roughness Ra was measured with a contact roughness meter, and the dimensions and burr thickness with a micrometer. Ra values ranged between 1.89 and 3.86 µm, dimensional error values between 0.22 and 0.93%, and burr thickness between 2 and 34 µm. Regression analysis was performed, and linear models were obtained for each response. Results showed that roughness depends mainly on frequency, on the interaction of frequency and pulse width and on pulse width. Dimensional error depends on pulse width, frequency, and the interaction between pulse width and speed. Burr thickness is influenced by frequency, pulse width, and the interaction between frequency and speed. Multi-objective optimization showed that, in order to simultaneously minimize the three responses, it is recommended to use high frequency (80 Hz), high pulse width (0.6 ms), and high speed (140 mm/min). The present study will help to select appropriate laser cutting conditions in thin plates, in order to favor good surface finish and dimensional accuracy, as well as low burr thickness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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20 pages, 7028 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A RE Methodology to achieve Accurate Polygon Models and NURBS Surfaces by Applying Different Data Processing Techniques

by Alejandro Pascual, Naiara Ortega, Soraya Plaza, Ibon Holgado and Jon Iñaki Arrizubieta

Metals 2020, 10(11), 1508; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10111508 - 12 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2132

Abstract

The scope of this work is to present a reverse engineering (RE) methodology to achieve accurate polygon models for 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) applications, as well as NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) surfaces for advanced machining processes. The accuracy of the 3D [...] Read more.

The scope of this work is to present a reverse engineering (RE) methodology to achieve accurate polygon models for 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) applications, as well as NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) surfaces for advanced machining processes. The accuracy of the 3D models generated by this RE process depends on the data acquisition system, the scanning conditions and the data processing techniques. To carry out this study, workpieces of different material and geometry were selected, using X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) and a Laser Scanner (LS) as data acquisition systems for scanning purposes. Once this is done, this work focuses on the data processing step in order to assess the accuracy of applying different processing techniques. Special attention is given to the XRCT data processing step. For that reason, the models generated from the LS point clouds processing step were utilized as a reference to perform the deviation analysis. Nonetheless, the proposed methodology could be applied for both data inputs: 2D cross-sectional images and point clouds. Finally, the target outputs of this data processing chain were evaluated due to their own reverse engineering applications, highlighting the promising future of the proposed methodology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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13 pages, 2528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of AISI D2 Workpiece Roughness on Heat Partition and Plasma Channel Radius in the WEDM Process

by Jun Wang, Jose Antonio Sánchez, Borja Izquierdo and Izaro Ayesta

Metals 2020, 10(10), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10101360 - 12 Oct 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1432

Abstract

As an important advanced machining process, in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) certain fundamental issues remain need to be studied in-depth, such as the effect of part surface roughness on heat transfer mechanisms. In the WEDM process, roughing cut wire goes into the [...] Read more.

As an important advanced machining process, in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) certain fundamental issues remain need to be studied in-depth, such as the effect of part surface roughness on heat transfer mechanisms. In the WEDM process, roughing cut wire goes into the workpiece to do the first shaping and in trim cut the wire sweeps on the outer surface to improve the surface roughness. In both of these two cases, the generation of sparks depends on the passing surface roughness. Therefore, with AISI D2 material and brass wire, this paper presents a study of the influence of part surface roughness on heat partition and the radius of the plasma channel in the WEDM process. Through extensive single discharge experiments, it is shown that the removal capacity per discharge can increase if the discharge occurs on a smoother surface. A Finite Element thermal model was then used for inverse fitting of the values of heat partition and radius of the plasma channel. These parameters completely define the characteristics of the heat conduction problem. The results indicate a strong correlation between an increase in heat partition ratio and a decrease in part surface roughness. The values of plasma channel radius show an increase in this value when discharging on rougher surfaces. It means that with the increasing of plasma channel radius, the heat source goes into the workpiece more dispersed. In the case of rougher surface, although the there is more area that affected by the heat source, finally the temperature of most area cannot reach to the melting point and it causes the smaller crater radius and volume, while the metal removal rate decreases. These results contribute towards a more complete understanding of the influence of surface roughness to the spark occurring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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16 pages, 25282 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing the Capillary Force of Binder-Jetting Printing Ti6Al4V and Mechanical Properties under High Temperature Sintering by Mixing Fine Powder

by Yang Tang, Zheguan Huang, Jianming Yang and Yonglin Xie

Metals 2020, 10(10), 1354; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10101354 - 10 Oct 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4815

Abstract

Binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) is an additive manufacturing technology that selectively deposits binder on powder to form a three-dimensional green body followed by sintering process. The low strength of green body and metallurgical issues limit the manufacture of Ti6Al4V parts with high-performance [...] Read more.

Binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) is an additive manufacturing technology that selectively deposits binder on powder to form a three-dimensional green body followed by sintering process. The low strength of green body and metallurgical issues limit the manufacture of Ti6Al4V parts with high-performance and that are lightweight. In this study, thermal-bubble inkjet technology was used to print Ti6Al4V parts via jetting low-concentration in-situ polymer binders. In addition, a method for mixing fine powder was used to enhance the capillary force of the powder bed and mechanical properties of the parts. The results show that the capillary force was enhanced from 8.35 kPa for pure powder to 16.27 kPa for mixed powder by mixing fine powder. The compression strength of green body was enhanced from 1.5 MPa to 3.21 MPa. After sintering, the sample with mixed powder sintered at 1420 °C for 2 h had achieved a maximum density of 95.2%, microhardness of 316 HV, and yield stress of 589 MPa. The relative density of 95.2% of Ti6Al4V parts fabricated by BJ3DP technology in our study is significantly higher than the value reported in the existing literature. Finally, the porous structure with a size of 550 μm was fabricated. Results presented demonstrate that BJ3DP can produce Ti6Al4V parts with excellent properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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18 pages, 6146 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study of Flank Cams Manufactured by WEDM and Milling Processes

by Irene Buj-Corral, Enrique Zayas-Figueras and Àngels Montaña-Faiget

Metals 2020, 10(9), 1159; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10091159 - 27 Aug 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3691

Abstract

Cam-follower mechanisms are usually employed in different machines, like combustion engines, sewing machines, machine tools, etc. In the present paper, the option to manufacture cams utilizing wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) has been considered. For this, surface roughness and shape error of cam [...] Read more.

Cam-follower mechanisms are usually employed in different machines, like combustion engines, sewing machines, machine tools, etc. In the present paper, the option to manufacture cams utilizing wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) has been considered. For this, surface roughness and shape error of cam profiles manufactured by the processes of milling and wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) are presented. The methodology used covers different stages: design, prototyping, manufacturing, and measurement of the cams. As a reference, a cam-follower mechanism from a motorcycle internal combustion engine has been used. A reverse engineering process has been performed to determine the geometrical parameters of the mechanism, which are used for the synthesis of the profile of the cam and its subsequent design. The manufacturing process of the cams has been assisted by CAD-CAM (Computer Assisted Drawing-Computer Assisted Manufacturing) software. Using fused filament fabrication (FFF), a physical prototype of the cam has been manufactured, in order to validate the goodness of the design. Finally, the roughness and shape parameters have been measured on the contour surface of the cams. The arithmetical mean roughness Ra value of the milled cam was 0.269 μm, below the requirement of 0.4 μm, and shape error was 18 μm, below 50 μm. Shape error of the WEDM cam of 48 μm meets the requirements for cams. However, the Ra value of 1.212 μm, exceeded the limit. For this reason, a finish operation is recommended in this case. Some advantages of WEDM cams over milled cams are that different conductive materials can be employed, more complex shapes can be obtained, and that, in rough operations, the amount of material to be removed in subsequent operations is considerably reduced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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16 pages, 9420 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Finite Element Analysis of Ball Burnishing on Ball-End Milled Surfaces Considering Their Original Topology and Residual Stress

by Cyrus Amini, Ramón Jerez-Mesa, J. Antonio Travieso-Rodriguez, Jordi Llumà and Aida Estevez-Urra

Metals 2020, 10(5), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10050638 - 14 May 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3139

Abstract

Ball burnishing is a superfinishing operation whose objective is the enhancement of surface integrity of previously machined surfaces, hence its appropriateness to complement chip removal processes at the end of a production line. As a complex process involving plastic deformation, friction and three-dimensional [...] Read more.

Ball burnishing is a superfinishing operation whose objective is the enhancement of surface integrity of previously machined surfaces, hence its appropriateness to complement chip removal processes at the end of a production line. As a complex process involving plastic deformation, friction and three-dimensional interaction between solids, numerical solutions and finite element models have typically included a considerable amount of simplifications that represent the process partially. The aim of this paper is to develop a 3D numerical finite element model of the ball burnishing process including in the target workpiece real surface integrity descriptors resulting from a ball-end milled AISI 1038 surface. Specifically, its periodical topological features are used to generate the surface geometry and the residual stress tensor measured on a real workpiece is embedded in the target surface. Secondly, different models varying the effect of the coefficient of friction and the direction of application of burnishing passes with regards to the original milling direction are calculated. Results show that the resulting topology and residual stresses are independent of the burnishing direction. However, it is evident that the model outputs are highly influenced by the value of the coefficient of friction. A value of 0.15 should be implemented in order to obtain representative results through finite element models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 4199 KiB

Open AccessReview

Systematic Literature Review: Integration of Additive Manufacturing and Industry 4.0

by Mario Enrique Hernandez Korner, María Pilar Lambán, José Antonio Albajez, Jorge Santolaria, Lisbeth del Carmen Ng Corrales and Jesús Royo

Metals 2020, 10(8), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10081061 - 06 Aug 2020

Cited by 60 | Viewed by 9027

Abstract

The research trend in additive manufacturing (AM) has evolved over the past 30 years, from patents, advances in the design, and layer-by-layer materials, to technologies. However, this evolution is faced with some barriers, such as the implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) in operations, [...] Read more.

The research trend in additive manufacturing (AM) has evolved over the past 30 years, from patents, advances in the design, and layer-by-layer materials, to technologies. However, this evolution is faced with some barriers, such as the implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) in operations, its productivity limitations, and economic and social sustainability. These barriers need to be overcome in order to realize the full potential of AM. The objective of this study is to analyze the bibliometric data on these barriers through a systematic review in two study areas: business model innovation and sustainability in AM from Industry 4.0 perspective. Using the most common keywords in these two study areas, we performed a search on the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases and filtered the results using some inclusion and exclusion criteria. A bibliometric analysis was performed for authorship productivity, journals, the most common keywords, and the identified research clusters in the study areas. For the bibliometric analysis, the BIBEXCEL software was used to extract the relevant information, and Bibliometrix was used to determine the research trend over the past few years. Finally, a literature review was performed to identify future trends in the study areas. The analysis showed evidence of the relationship between the study areas from a bibliometric perspective and areas related to AM as an enabler for Industry 4.0. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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30 pages, 2371 KiB

Open AccessReview

Development of AM Technologies for Metals in the Sector of Medical Implants

by Irene Buj-Corral, Aitor Tejo-Otero and Felip Fenollosa-Artés

Metals 2020, 10(5), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10050686 - 23 May 2020

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 7271

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes have undergone significant progress in recent years, having been implemented in sectors as diverse as automotive, aerospace, electrical component manufacturing, etc. In the medical sector, different devices are printed, such as implants, surgical guides, scaffolds, tissue engineering, etc. Although [...] Read more.

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes have undergone significant progress in recent years, having been implemented in sectors as diverse as automotive, aerospace, electrical component manufacturing, etc. In the medical sector, different devices are printed, such as implants, surgical guides, scaffolds, tissue engineering, etc. Although nowadays some implants are made of plastics or ceramics, metals have been traditionally employed in their manufacture. However, metallic implants obtained by traditional methods such as machining have the drawbacks that they are manufactured in standard sizes, and that it is difficult to obtain porous structures that favor fixation of the prostheses by means of osseointegration. The present paper presents an overview of the use of AM technologies to manufacture metallic implants. First, the different technologies used for metals are presented, focusing on the main advantages and drawbacks of each one of them. Considered technologies are binder jetting (BJ), selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM), direct energy deposition (DED), and material extrusion by fused filament fabrication (FFF) with metal filled polymers. Then, different metals used in the medical sector are listed, and their properties are summarized, with the focus on Ti and CoCr alloys. They are divided into two groups, namely ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. Finally, the state-of-art about the manufacture of metallic implants with AM technologies is summarized. The present paper will help to explain the latest progress in the application of AM processes to the manufacture of implants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-Art within 3D Printing and Advanced Machining Processes)

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