Dissociated Additive Manufacturing Coupons for Reduced Build Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
In additive manufacturing, fabricating test coupons concurrently with components wastes time and increases the risk of build failures due to the need for stilts, which are not necessary for the component's fabrication, and require additional material.
Innovation Solution
Fabricating the main portion and grip portions dissociatedly, allowing the component to be printed directly on the base plate without stilts, and coupling them later to form a complete coupon that meets testing standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If test coupons are fabricated concurrently with components in additive manufacturing, then quality control is improved, but manufacturing time is increased and build failure risk is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The coupon fabrication process is segmented into separate operations: the component is fabricated first, then the coupon is fabricated separately using the component as a template. This segmentation allows quality control to be maintained through template-based replication while eliminating the time penalty and build failure risk associated with concurrent fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The component is fabricated first as a preliminary step, and its geometry is then used as a template for coupon fabrication. This preliminary action enables the coupon to be created with accurate geometric representation without requiring simultaneous fabrication, thus maintaining quality control while improving productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If stilts are used for concurrent coupon fabrication, then coupon geometry is maintained, but material usage is increased and build failure risk is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The component geometry is established first through preliminary fabrication, then used as a template for coupon creation. This eliminates the need for stilts during coupon fabrication, reducing material usage while maintaining geometric accuracy through template-based replication.
Solution Approach 2:
The component serves as a physical template or model that is copied to create the coupon geometry. This copying approach maintains manufacturing precision without requiring additional support structures like stilts, thereby reducing material consumption.
3Productivity
If coupons are fabricated dissociatedly from components, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but coupon-component geometric correlation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The component is fabricated first as a preliminary step, establishing the reference geometry. The coupon is then fabricated separately using this component as a template, ensuring geometric correlation is maintained while allowing dissociated fabrication that improves manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The component itself serves as an intermediary between the design geometry and the coupon fabrication process. By using the fabricated component as a physical template, geometric correlation is transferred accurately to the coupon without requiring concurrent fabrication, thus enabling efficient dissociated manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method that includes fabricating a component using an additive manufacturing process, and fabricating a coupon using the additive manufacturing process. The coupon includes a main portion and a grip portion. Fabrication of the coupon includes fabricating the main portion concurrently with the fabrication of the component, fabricating the grip portion dissociatedly from the fabrication of the component, and coupling a first end of the main portion with the grip portion to form the coupon.