Additive Manufacturing Section Recovery via Position Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing methods like selective laser melting and electron beam melting face significant challenges with resource wastage and build failure, particularly in large components, where a mid-process failure necessitates starting anew, leading to wasted time, material, and money.
Innovation Solution
The method involves additively manufacturing a first section with position features, allowing for back machining to reveal these features in case of build failure, enabling the separate manufacturing of a second section with corresponding features, which can then be aligned and permanently connected to the first section, thereby recovering and continuing the build process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used for large components, then manufacturing capability is improved, but risk of build failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The component is divided into multiple build sections (first build section, second build section) that can be manufactured separately and assembled. This segmentation allows recovery if one section fails, as the other section can be salvaged and reused, reducing the overall impact of build failure while maintaining the capability to manufacture large components.
2Loss of substance
If build job continues after failure, then resource wastage is reduced, but manufacturing precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Position features are pre-designed and manufactured into the first build section during the initial successful build. These position features serve as reference points for subsequent rebuilding operations, ensuring that when the build is resumed after failure, the new section can be accurately aligned and attached to the existing section, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling continuation of the build job.
3Manufacturing precision
If position features are integrated into component design, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than adding complex alignment mechanisms throughout the entire system, position features are locally integrated directly into the component geometry itself. These features are simple geometric elements (such as recesses, protrusions, or specific surface features) that provide alignment functionality as an inherent part of the component design, achieving high alignment precision without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach prevents complete resource wastage by allowing the continuation of the manufacturing process, utilizing existing parts and reducing the likelihood of build errors, while ensuring reliable alignment and connection of complex sections within the component.
Implementation Method 1
selective laser melting or selective laser sintering are relatively well known methods for fabricating, prototyping or manufacturing parts or components from powder material
Implementation Method 2
the energy of a laser beam and subsequently solidified. The layer thickness is determined by a wiper that moves
Implementation Method 3
selective laser melting or electron beam melting
Implementation Method 4
the second section is advantageously adhesively, metallurgically and/or permanently connected to the first section
Implementation Method 5
the second section is advantageously adhesively, metallurgically and/or permanently connected to the first section
Data Source
AI summary
A method of additive manufacturing includes additively manufacturing a first section for a component, wherein the first section is provided with a position feature, additively manufacturing a second section for the component on the first section, and, in case that a build failure occurs during the additive manufacture of the second section, machining back a present buildup until the position feature is revealed, additively manufacturing the second section separately from the first section, thereby providing the second section with a corresponding position feature, and connecting the first section and the second section to provide the component.