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Full-Text Articles in Manufacturing

Optimization Of Selective Laser Sintering Process For Fabrication Of Zirconium Diboride Parts, Ming-Chuan Leu, Shashwatashish Pattnaik, Greg Hilmas Aug 2010

Optimization Of Selective Laser Sintering Process For Fabrication Of Zirconium Diboride Parts, Ming-Chuan Leu, Shashwatashish Pattnaik, Greg Hilmas

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was investigated to fabricate Zirconium Diboride (ZrB2) parts for ultra-high temperature applications. Experiments were conducted to determine values of SLS process parameters (laser power, scan speed, line spacing, and layer thickness) that can be used to build ZrB2 parts with high integrity and sharp geometrical features. A sacrificial plate with a proper number of layers (determined from experimentation) separated from the main part was built in order to reduce thermal gradients when building the main part. The sacrificial plate was found to assist in eliminating cracks in the bottom of the main part. …


Effect Of Different Graphite Materials On Electrical Conductivity And Flexural Strength Of Bipolar Plates Fabricated By Selective Laser Sintering, Nannan Guo, Ming-Chuan Leu Aug 2010

Effect Of Different Graphite Materials On Electrical Conductivity And Flexural Strength Of Bipolar Plates Fabricated By Selective Laser Sintering, Nannan Guo, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Graphite is an excellent material for bipolar plates used in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell due to its great chemical resistance, but the brittle nature makes it difficult to manufacture. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) based on layer-by-layer manufacturing technology can fabricate graphite bipolar plates with complex gas flow channels. To improve the performance of bipolar plates including electrical conductivity and flexural strength, different graphite materials (natural graphite, synthetic graphite, carbon black, and carbon fiber) were investigated to fabricate test samples. These samples then went through post processing including carbonization and infiltration. The results show that bipolar plates with electrical …


Laser Based Rapid Manufacturing Of Metallic Gas Diffusion Layers For Pem Fuel Cells, Gargi Tandra, Todd E. Sparks, Shyam Barua, Nikhil P. Kulkarni, Frank W. Liou Aug 2010

Laser Based Rapid Manufacturing Of Metallic Gas Diffusion Layers For Pem Fuel Cells, Gargi Tandra, Todd E. Sparks, Shyam Barua, Nikhil P. Kulkarni, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gas Diffusion layers (GDL’s) are an essential component of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel cells (PEMFC’s) which aid in thermal & electrical conductivities, water management and act as backup layers for the membrane electrode assemblies. This paper summarizes the effort to prototype metallic GDL designs using a miniature laser deposition system developed at Missouri University of Science & Technology. The pore sizes are controlled by masking the diverging laser beam using stainless steel masks of varying sizes and shapes. The through pore feature and further treatment of the GDL’s for hydrophobicity reduces the water management issue and thereby increases the performance …


Selective Laser Sintering And Freeze Extrusion Fabrication Of Scaffolds For Bone Repair Using 13-93 Bioactive Glass: A Comparison, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Nikhil P. Doiphode, Ming-Chuan Leu Aug 2010

Selective Laser Sintering And Freeze Extrusion Fabrication Of Scaffolds For Bone Repair Using 13-93 Bioactive Glass: A Comparison, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Nikhil P. Doiphode, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

13-93 glass is a third-generation bioactive material which accelerates the bone’s natural ability to heal by itself through bonding with surrounding tissues. It is an important requirement for synthetic scaffolds to maintain their bioactivity and mechanical strength with a porous internal architecture comparable to that of a human bone. Additive manufacturing technologies provide a better control over design and fabrication of porous structures than conventional methods. In this paper, we discuss and compare some of the common aspects in the scaffold fabrication using two such processes, viz. selective laser sintering (SLS) and freeze extrusion fabrication (FEF). Scaffolds fabricated using each …


Multi-Axis Planning System (Maps) For Hybrid Laser Metal Deposition Processes, Frank W. Liou, Jianzhong Ruan, Todd E. Sparks Aug 2010

Multi-Axis Planning System (Maps) For Hybrid Laser Metal Deposition Processes, Frank W. Liou, Jianzhong Ruan, Todd E. Sparks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper summarizes the research and development of a Multi-Axis Planning System (MAPS) for hybrid laser metal deposition processes. The project goal is to enable the current direct metal deposition systems to fully control and utilize multi-axis capability to make complex parts. MAPS allows fully automated process planning for multi-axis layered manufacturing to control direct metal deposition machines for automated fabrication. Such a capability will lead to dramatic reductions in lead time and manufacturing costs for high-value, low-volume components with high performance material. The overall approach, slicing algorithm, machine simulation for planning validation, and the planning results will be presented.


Uncertainty Analysis In Laser Deposition Finish Machining Operations, Jomy Francis, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou Aug 2010

Uncertainty Analysis In Laser Deposition Finish Machining Operations, Jomy Francis, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Laser Aided Manufacturing Process (LAMP) from Missouri S&T is a laser based metals rapid manufacturing process that uses machining to improve the final part's surface finish. When free-form machining, the absence of enough deposited material results in inconsistent scallop heights which result in poor surface finish or incorrect geometry in the final part. This paper investigates a probabilistic approach to various uncertainties involved in the deposition and subsequent machining of an arbitrary part. Furthermore, this paper analyses the machine errors which makes the response of Scallop Height to exceed the predefined maximum scallop height when traveling along the tool …


Computer Aided Contour Profiling Of High Strength Deposits, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Amar Bala Sridhar, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk Aug 2010

Computer Aided Contour Profiling Of High Strength Deposits, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Amar Bala Sridhar, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive manufacturing processes suffer from the effect of ripples, edge rounding and surface variations. To reduce their effect, ideal process parameters for the laser deposition process were investigated. Also, a new method was identified to analyze deposits by accurately plotting their contours. This was achieved through point cloud data of the deposits generated using coordinate measurement and 3D scanning. Curve fitting was performed on the data in Matlab to generate the contours of the deposit. The intercept values, heights, and contact angle of the curves give an indication of the uniformity of deposits and aid in reducing defects.


Selective Laser Sintering Of 13-93 Bioactive Glass, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas, Mariano Garcia Velez Aug 2010

Selective Laser Sintering Of 13-93 Bioactive Glass, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas, Mariano Garcia Velez

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bioactive glasses are more promising than biopolymers in fabricating scaffolds for bone tissue repair because they convert to hydroxyapatite, when implanted in vivo. Both direct and indirect selective laser sintering (SLS) methods of 13-93 bioactive glass were considered in this research to study the feasibility of fabricating scaffolds for bone repair applications. Stearic acid was used as the binder in the indirect method to fabricate the scaffolds. The green scaffolds underwent binder burnout and sintering at various soaking conditions between 675⁰C and 700⁰C, achieving a maximum compressive strength of 23.6 MPa, which is higher than that of the human cancellous …


Mea Manufacturing Using An Additive Manufacturing Process To Deposit A Catalyst Pattern In An Mea And Its Impact On Cost Reduction, Nikhil P. Kulkarni, Todd E. Sparks, Gargi Tandra, Frank W. Liou Aug 2010

Mea Manufacturing Using An Additive Manufacturing Process To Deposit A Catalyst Pattern In An Mea And Its Impact On Cost Reduction, Nikhil P. Kulkarni, Todd E. Sparks, Gargi Tandra, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The manufacturing of a fuel cell Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) is a significant cost driver in polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell technologies, primarily due to the inclusion of expensive materials in the catalyst layer. The selective deposition of a catalyst on the MEA of a fuel cell can drastically reduce the costs depending upon the catalyst, method used for deposition, and production volume. In this paper, testing and analysis of a novel catalyst iridium oxide is discussed. The performance of the catalyst will be compared with the conventional catalysts which will give us an estimate of its effectiveness however, in …


Development Of A Low Cost Imaging System For A Laser Metal Deposition Process, Shyam Barua, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou Aug 2010

Development Of A Low Cost Imaging System For A Laser Metal Deposition Process, Shyam Barua, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The size of the melt pool created by the laser is one of the most important quality characteristic in a laser metal deposition process. This paper discusses the development of a low-cost vision system to automatically determine the size of the melt pool for in-process control. To cope with the intense infrared signal from the laser and melt pool, external ultraviolet illumination is paired with narrow bandpass filters on a usb microscope to achieve a clear image of the melt pool. The sensitivity of the melt pool to changes in system parameters and various substrate materials are also evaluated.