Additive Manufacturing Test Specimen Screening Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical testing for additively manufactured materials is time-consuming, taking months to years, and lacks efficient methods for rapid screening of material properties, which hinders process and material optimization in additive manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method involving a build plate with actuators and sensors for rapid screening of material properties in additively manufactured test specimens, allowing for translational displacement and testing of monotonic and cyclic mechanical properties, enabling high-throughput screening and simultaneous testing of multiple build strategies and chemistries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional mechanical testing methods are used for additively manufactured materials, then material properties can be accurately measured, but the testing process takes months to years and incurs significant costs
Solution Approach 1:
The build plate is divided into multiple zones with independent actuators and sensors, allowing simultaneous testing of multiple test specimens. Each zone operates independently to measure material properties of different additively manufactured specimens in parallel, reducing overall testing time from months/years to hours while maintaining measurement accuracy through dedicated sensing elements for each specimen
Solution Approach 2:
Material property screening is integrated into the additive manufacturing process itself, with test specimens being manufactured and tested on the same build plate during the same operational cycle. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate, time-consuming post-manufacturing testing phases, enabling rapid screening while preserving measurement validity through in-process characterization
2Measurement precision
If traditional sequential testing methods are used, then thorough material characterization is achieved, but process optimization and material development are delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The build plate incorporates multiple independently controlled zones, each capable of manufacturing and testing different material compositions, processing parameters, or post-treatment conditions simultaneously. This segmentation enables parallel materials development streams, maintaining comprehensive material characterization across multiple variables while accelerating overall development throughput by eliminating sequential testing bottlenecks
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables rapid variation of additive manufacturing parameters (temperature, laser power, scan speed, material composition) across different zones on the same build plate, with each zone optimized for specific parameter sets. This allows comprehensive exploration of the process parameter space and material property relationships in parallel, achieving thorough characterization across multiple parameter combinations simultaneously rather than sequentially
3Reliability
If multiple test specimens are manufactured separately and tested individually, then each specimen receives dedicated testing attention, but the overall screening process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The build plate is segmented into multiple testing zones, each equipped with its own actuator and sensor array, allowing simultaneous independent testing of multiple test specimens. Each zone maintains dedicated sensing capabilities ensuring reliable measurement for its assigned specimen while all zones operate in parallel, reducing total screening time from the sum of individual testing durations to approximately the duration of a single test cycle
Solution Approach 2:
The build plate system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the manufacturing substrate for additively manufactured test specimens and the testing platform for mechanical property evaluation. The same actuators and sensors used during manufacturing are repurposed for testing, eliminating the need for separate testing equipment and enabling continuous operation that maintains reliability while dramatically reducing screening time
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus and method for rapid screening of material properties in a plurality of additively manufactured test specimens. The apparatus includes a build plate having the plurality of additively manufactured test specimens disposed on a first substantially planar surface. The plurality of additively manufactured test specimens are coupled to at least one actuator to one of individually or simultaneously translationally displace each of the test specimens along an axis "z", and perpendicular to the build plane of the build plate to test material properties of each of the plurality of additively manufactured test specimens. A sensor is coupled to each of the plurality of additively manufactured test specimens. Load vs. displacement data may be used to monitor the progression of monotonic and/or cyclic tests of the plurality of additively manufactured test specimens.