FEATURE MATERIALS IN DESIGN & PROTOTYPING 3D printing and additive manufacturing offers a wealth of benefits to
design engineers, enabling them to experiment with design concepts and materials. Ben Smye, head of growth at materials search engine Matmatch, looks at how the technique can benefit those in transport manufacturing
AM: the road ahead for transportation A
ccording to a 2018 report by the Aerospace Technology Institute, it
is estimated that 35% of the total AM market will be driven by the aerospace and automotive industries. Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers
a wealth of benefits for transport manufacturing. Using the technique, the components produced are typically more lightweight than their subtractive manufactured counterparts, yet provide similar levels of strength and robustness, at a lower production cost and faster manufacturing speed. The technique gives design engineers
the opportunity to experiment with material structures in order to improve the integrity of components. It also makes new designs possible, as more complex components can be produced easily; and it is easier to produce components with mesh or lattice structures. This means that designers can incorporate these structures into component design, allowing the product to possess the same strength and sturdiness using less material, in turn reducing total weight.
MATERIAL SELECTION For sectors like transport where poor material selection can lead to or exacerbate serious incidents, the choice of materials is critical. And, for AM, the source of these materials is also an important consideration. As an example, a 3D printed metal
component for aircraft might experience limited density due to porosity, which can lead to cracking and material fatigue. This can occur due to the AM process itself, but it is also symptomatic of a poor-quality metal powder feedstock introducing gas pockets into the process. Sourcing metal 3D printing powders from reputable suppliers, via platforms such as Matmatch’s materials database that partners only with reliable material suppliers, solves this issue. Comprehensive materials databases
such as these also give transport design engineers a greater understanding of the many materials available for AM. Although many people think of polymer filaments as the primary choice, metal –
8 OCTOBER 2019 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
from stainless steel and aluminium to cobalt and titanium – and ceramic powders are also widely used. This flexibility means that design
engineers can additively manufacture many of the components required for various modes of transport. For cars, a brake caliper could be 3D printed using a titanium powder, which would offer a lightweight and high strength product ideal for this application. Alongside this, the pistons for the caliper could be 3D printed from phenolic resin to provide durable, corrosion-resistant, properties. We’re also increasingly seeing alloy
materials appear in AM-suitable feedstock forms, providing further opportunities for 3D printing in transport engineering. Materials such as VDM Metals’ Powder 625 or Deutsche Edelstahlwerke’s Printdur Ni625, both of which are powdered nickel-chromium- molybdenum alloys for 3D printing, exhibit enhanced corrosion resistance due to their composition, making them a good fit for components on ships and seafaring vehicles. As the range of materials expands, we
see a similar trend towards sustainable and ‘green’ materials emerging, as can be found in the wider materials sector.
BENEFITS Additive manufacturing is more efficient and less wasteful than conventional, subtractive manufacturing. Being precise, less raw material is needed; and the technique is also typically used to produce parts to specific demand.
According to a 2014 study by Gebler,
Uiterkamp and Visser, 3D printing has the potential to reduce the total primary energy supply by 2.54–9.30 exajoules, and lower CO2
emissions by up to 525.5
megatonnes by 2025. For transport design engineers, AM
allows for greater experimentation of materials, at a low-cost, to reshape what we consider to be conventional vehicle design. Given the quick prototyping and production time, and minimal overheads, it will provide an unprecedented level of freedom.
CHANGING DESIGN Let’s take a look at GE Aviation. Using additive manufacturing techniques, the company’s Catalyst Advanced turboprop engine consolidated 855 components into a mere 12. These changes to conventional designs further reduce the total production costs. So, why wouldn’t transport design engineers experiment with design concepts using this maturing technology and advancing AM materials? Almost three-quarters
of a century after the connection between 3D fabrication and transport was first made, we are inching ever closer to it becoming a widespread reality.
Matmatch
https://matmatch.com
For transport design engineers, AM allows for greater experimentation of materials, at a low-cost, to reshape what we consider to be conventional vehicle design
AM gives design engineers the opportunity to experiment with material structures in order to improve the integrity of components
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