Page 31 - 3D Metal Printing Spring 2018

3D
Well-Resourced
The processes and equipment at YSU and America Makes are extensive, according to Brett Conner, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering and director of YSU’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, of which
CIAM is a part. The CIAM equipment rep- resents the seven ASTM/ISO AM technology categories.
• Powder-bed fusion: ProX 320 Direct Metal Printer
from 3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC
• Directed-energy
deposition: Ambit multitask system from Hybrid Manufac- turing Technologies, McKinney, TX, mounted in a machining center from Haas Automation, Oxnard, CA
• Binder jetting: M-Flex metal and ceramics printer, S-Max 3D sand printer and X1-Lab from ExOne, North Huntingdon, PA
• Material extrusion: Fortus 250mc from Statasys, Edina, MN; CreaterBot ProSeries II from Printer Works, Youngstown, OH; Lulzbot TAZ6 from Aleph Objects, Loveland, CO; Replicator 2 and 2X from MakerBot, New York, NY; Hyrel3D printer from Hyrel 3D, Atlanta, GA
• Material jetting: Projet 3510SD from 3D Systems
• Vat photopolymerization: Formlabs 2 and Projet 1200 from 3D Systems
• Sheet lamination: Mcor Iris from Mcor Technologies (US), Los Gatos, CA
In addition, CIAM can leverage equipment at America Makes and the Youngstown Business Incubator ( YBI) including an m290 from EOS North America, Novi, MI; a 3D Systems sPro60; a Stratasys Fortus 400mc, and YBI’s recent acquisition of the newly introduced Carmel 1400 ceramic material-jetting printer from XJet, Englewood, CO.
Brain Trust
In addition to his YSU roles, Conner is the chief technology officer for Freshmade 3D, a Youngstown-based AM start-up. He is actively researching business models for AM, functionally graded materials, and shock and energy absorption of AM struc- tures. Prior to joining YSU, Conner conducted U.S. Air Force research into materials, developed technology policy and led efforts developing space systems.
Working with Conner is Eric MacDonald, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering and Friedman Chair for Manufacturing, who came to YSU in 2016 after being a professor and associate director of the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation at the University of Texas at El Paso. MacDonald’s AM research has resulted in nearly $16 million in funding. His 3D-printed projects include satellites with structural-embedded electronics.
This stainless-steel demonstration part was printed on the 3D Systems ProX 320. It demonstrates various lattice structures, supports
and interior channels.
One such satellite launched into low-earth orbit in 2013. A replica is on display at the London Museum of Science. Completing the trio is Jason Walker, Ph.D., assistant professor of manufacturing engineering, who also joined YSU in 2016 to work on a grant-funded AM project to accelerate the making and validating of 3D-printed parts for the U.S. Air Force. All three, as well as YSU students in the materials science Ph.D. pro- gram, work closely together on the USAF proj- ect. Simply put, their mission is to demon- strate the feasibility of using additive in the field or on an aircraft carrier to print tooling or aircraft parts. The three-phase grant is funding work with directed-energy deposition, powder- bed fusion, material extrusion, vat photopolymerization and
binder jetting for sand printing.
A separate Navy-funded project focuses on the development
of in-envelope hybrid manufacturing for fabricating functionally graded materials. To this end, YSU is using the Ambit system from Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies, a laser-based, direct- ed-energy deposition and docking system, employed in a tradi- tional four-axis CNC system. Automated changeover takes sec- onds, meaning that changing from additive to subtractive simply requires a quick tool change.
In addition to the Department of Defense projects, Conner says CIAM industry partners include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Oerlikon, Honeywell and Sikorsky as well as smaller companies such as Humtown Products (molds), Slice Manufac- turing (medical) and M-7 Technologies (precision measurement).
“Ours is a strong industry-university collaborative program that follows a holistic approach to additive,” says Conner. “When it comes to developing defect-free, certifiable parts for aerospace, medical, transportation and industrial applications, we have to look at the entire process holistically and recognize that there is a series of processes starting with deposition and followed by more conventional processes such as heattreatment, machining and inspection. We have to evaluate such factors as defects in the powder feedstock that may influence the outcomes of process- es such as heattreatment. Or, we need to improve inspection methods such as evaluating rapid, noncontact dimensional inspection prior to machining.”
IoT for Casting and Medical
This emphasis on the holistic has led the CIAM team to apply CAD-based solid modeling to introduce unique and sensor- equipped cavities in sand molds, used to form metal castings.
“We’re developing 3D-printed smart molds or Internet of
3DMPmag.com
SPRING 2018 • 3D METAL PRINTING | 29