Science NIE ACTIVITY Science Matters!

is a series presented in

MATTERS!
collaboration with the Connecticut Academy of
Science and Engineering and the Connecticut
Science Center.
For more information, visit www.cctcase.org
… IN CONNECTICUT or call 860.241.3144.

Additive manufacturing Meet the Scientist:

By Rainer Hebert, materials scientist and engineer
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, most often involves powders.
Metallic powder is similar to dry sand, but is grey in color. In an additive
manufacturing machine a powerful laser, or electron beam, melts the
powder particles; the particles melt, flow into each other and freeze into
solid regions.
Imagine you want to build a cylinder. Imagine
that the cylinder is sliced into many individual
discs. To build one disc the beam melts
the powder within a circle. The
powder particles in the circle melt
and solidify as one disc. Then the
machine spreads another layer of
powder over the previously melted
disc and melts and freezes the next
layers to form a solid disc on top of
the previously melted disc. This process
is repeated until the entire cylinder is built. For plastic parts, molten plastic
is ejected through nozzles on a previously melted layer, and components
are again built in a layer-by-
layer fashion.
Dr. Rainer Hebert
I am a professor in the Department of Materials Science and
Engineering at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.
My area of interest is metals and I spend much of my
time researching how metals can be made stronger
and more difficult to break. Growing up, I liked
wood-working and was interested in machines,
especially in airplanes and spacecraft. When I’m
not working, I like to spending time landscaping
around my yard.
Skills and Knowledge
Additive manufacturing requires engineers and scientists with different
backgrounds and skills. Most people involved in additive manufacturing have
a background in mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering,
industrial engineering, or aerospace engineering. As additive manufacturing
develops a stronger foothold in industry, I expect required degrees will
range from associate level to doctoral. Some people work directly on the
machines and produce parts; others use computers to design components
for additively manufactured parts. Some people, including myself, research
and develop new materials or processing strategies. Research jobs typically
require a master’s or doctoral degree.

An advantage of additive
manufacturing is that no
WORDS TO KNOW
Additive Manufacturing – Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is a
tooling is required beyond
process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape
the additive manufacturing from a digital model.
machine. One of the
proposed applications Particles – A very small piece or part; a tiny portion or speck.
is to use additive Cylinder – A solid object with two identical flat ends that are circular or
manufacturing for future elliptical and one curved side.
space missions to produce
Molten – Liquefied by heat.
tools and parts during
spaceflight — almost Replicator – A fictional machine from Star Trek© that is capable of
like the replicator creating and recycling objects
in Star Trek© movies.

Links:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aghzpO_UZE
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
• http://www.3dprinter.net/reference/what-is-3d-printing