Large-Scale Deposition System by an Industrial Robot (I): Design of Fused Pellet Modeling System and Extrusion Process Analysiss

Abstract

Fused pellet modeling (FPM) is an important method in additive manufacturing technology that uses granular material instead of filaments. In FPM, prototypes are constructed by the sequential deposition of material layers. As the size of the part increases, the long build times and part deformations become critical problems. Methods for optimizing the extrusion process to eliminate the void density during large-scale FPM processes were studied. Based on analyzing polymer extrusion theory and non-Newtonian fluid properties, a miniextruder with a variable pitch and a progressive diameter screw has been proposed for large-scale fused pellet deposition. Each of the design parameters, such as the lengths of different function sections of screw, die shape of extruder nozzle, and the material properties, was analyzed. According to these analysis results, an extrusion process simulation for controlling the filament shape was carried out with multiphysics modeling software proving that the FPM could increase the building efficiency and deposition quality for large-sized parts.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Computer software; Deposition; Machine design; Non Newtonian flow; Non Newtonian liquids; Nozzle design; Pelletizing; Quality control; Screws; Additive manufacturing technology; Building efficiency; Critical problems; Design parameters; Multi-physics modeling; Non-Newtonian fluids; Polymer extrusion; Sequential deposition; Extrusion

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2329-7662

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2016 Mary Ann Liebert Inc., All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2016

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