Printing Free-Form Free-Standing Glass Structures
Abstract
Transparent, bubble-free glass structures can be printed using a filament-fed, laser-heated additive manufacturing process. In this process, a stationary CO2 laser beam is focused at the intersection of the filament and workpiece to locally heat the glass above its working temperature. Glass enters the molten region and is deposited on the workpiece as the workpiece is translated/rotated using a 4-axis stage. This paper studies creating free-form, free-standing objects which is facilitated by the glass rapidly achieving structural rigidity as it cools upon exiting the molten region. The effects of the process parameters and printing techniques are examined and optimized to print simple wall and truss structures.
Recommended Citation
B. Curtis et al., "Printing Free-Form Free-Standing Glass Structures," Proceedings of the ASME 2018 13th International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (2018, College Station, TX), vol. 1, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Jun 2018.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1115/MSEC2018-6677
Meeting Name
ASME 2018 13th International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference, MSEC 2018 (2018: Jun. 18-22, College Station, TX)
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Carbon dioxide lasers; Laser beams; Manufacture; Additive manufacturing process; Glass structure; Molten region; Printing techniques; Process parameters; Structural rigidity; Truss structure; Working temperatures; Glass
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-0-7918-5135-7
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2018 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jun 2018
Comments
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (CMMI-1538464).