Search Results (5)

Thanks to the layer-by-layer creation of components, additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the flexible production of components with highly complex geometries, that were previously not realizable or only with very great effort. While AM technologies are very widespread in the research sector, they have so far only been used industrially in a few individual areas of application. The manufacturing costs are one reason for this. In this work, a new approach for the optimized arrangement of components in the building box and its potential for reducing the manufacturing costs are presented, illustrated by a selected example, and a discussion. Three types of cylinders, which differ in geometry and/or inclination, are required in quantities of around 1000 each. The optimization aims at an arrangement with the smallest possible number of printing jobs. Compared to the solution obtained by the current automatic software tool that is based on the bounding box method, the optimized arrangement leads to a 70% increase in the number of components on a building platform or, in other words, to a 44% reduction in the number of building platforms needed to manufacture 980 components of each type. Finally, a three-step method is proposed, to optimize the manufacturing preparation for AM components automatically in the future. Full article

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is an excellent material for heat sinks and is used, for example, in high-performance electronics, high-power LEDs and photovoltaics. In order to meet the constantly increasing demands on substrate materials and heat sinks resulting from the permanent increase in power density and resulting heat in electronic components, new types of components made of high-performance materials with highly complex geometries are required. In this work, AlN based on a commercial powder (“TOYALNITE^®”-JCGA-BLY5 by Toyal Europe), was successfully qualified for an AM technology through suspension and process development for CerAM VPP—a DLP-based vat photo polymerization technology. The properties of the components were characterized along the entire process chain, achieving densities of 3.33 g/cm³ (>99% Th.D.) and excellent thermal conductivities of more than 180 W/mK, which are comparable to state-of-the-art for conventionally manufactured AlN components. Homogeneous microstructures of good quality confirm the measured density and thermal conductivity. A complex-shaped component usable for an exemplary heating–cooling application demonstrates the potential of this development. Full article

Advanced ceramics are recognized as key enabling materials possessing combinations of properties not achievable in other material classes. They provide very high thermal, chemical and mechanical resistance and typically exhibit lower densities than metals. These properties predestine ceramics for many different applications, especially those in space. Aerospike nozzles promise an increased performance compared to classic bell nozzles but are also inherently more complex to manufacture due to their shape. Additive manufacturing (AM) drastically simplifies or even enables the fabrication of very complex structures while minimizing the number of individual parts. The applicability of ceramic AM (“CerAMfacturing”) on rocket engines and especially nozzles is consequently investigated in the frame of the “MACARONIS” project, a cooperation of the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at Technische Universität Dresden and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) in Dresden. The goal is to develop novel filigree aerospike nozzles with 2.5 N and 10 N thrust. For this purpose, CerAM VPP (ceramic AM via Vat Photopolymerization) using photoreactive and highly particle-filled suspensions was utilized. This contribution gives an overview of the component development starting from CAD modeling, suspension development based on alumina AES-11C, heat treatment and investigation of the microstructure of the sintered components. It could be shown that modifying the suspension composition significantly reduced the formation of cracks during processing, resulting in defect-free filigree aerospike nozzles for application in space. Full article

The authors report on the manufacturing of mechanically stable β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) structural hybrid scaffolds via the combination of additive manufacturing (CerAM VPP) and Freeze Foaming for engineering a potential bone replacement. In the first step, load bearing support structures were designed via FE simulation and 3D printed by CerAM VPP. In the second step, structures were foamed-in with a porous and degradable calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramic that mimics porous spongiosa. For this purpose, Fraunhofer IKTS used a process known as Freeze Foaming, which allows the foaming of any powdery material and the foaming-in into near-net-shape structures. Using a joint heat treatment, both structural components fused to form a structural hybrid. This bone construct had a 25-fold increased compressive strength compared to the pure CaP Freeze Foam and excellent biocompatibility with human osteoblastic MG-63 cells when compared to a bone grafting Curasan material for benchmark. Full article

Porous ceramics can be realized by different methods and are used for various applications such as cross-flow membranes or wall-flow filters, porous burners, solar receivers, structural design elements, or catalytic supports. Within this paper, three different alternative process routes are presented, which can be used to manufacture porous ceramic components with different properties or even graded porosity. The first process route is based on additive manufacturing (AM) of macro porous ceramic components. The second route is based on AM of a polymeric template, which is used to realize porous ceramic components via replica technique. The third process route is based on an AM technology, which allows the manufacturing of multimaterial or multiproperty ceramic components, like components with dense and porous volumes in one complex-shaped component. Full article