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2.design For AM
2.design For AM
Dr. Ahmad Zafari
zafari.a@unimelb.edu.au
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Melbourne
Element transitions often show
the same reoccurring attributes.
The thicknesses tEt of the
combined elements, the
transition angle δEt as well as
edges and corners are attributes
of firmly‐bonded elements’
transitions.
Gaps between combined
elements are required to form
transitions of non‐bonded
elements. Thus the gap height
hG, length lG and width bG
characterize element transitions firmly‐bonded elements non‐bonded elements
of non‐bonded elements.
3. Aggregated structures: Spatial arrangements of two or more
basic elements and its element transitions
(a) Islands: Elements that start in a higher building height than the main part structure,
and grow together with the main part structure in a still higher height, described by
starting position Pisl, length lIsl and distance to the main part structure dISl
(b) Overhang: Elements that overtop the part layers beneath itself in parallel direction to
the building plane. The length lOh characterizes an overhang.
(c) Material accumulations: Regions of a part layer where a lot of material is cumulated
in a small area. A material accumulation can be characterized by the size AMa of the area in
which the material is accumulated.
G.A.O. Adam, D. Zimmer / CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology 7
(2014) 20–28
Thicknesses of transitions of firmly‐bonded elements
Edges of transitions of firmly‐bonded elements
The results show that sharp outer and inner edges cannot be manufactured without form
defects. The sizes of the melting baths (LS, LM) and the filaments (FDM) limit the
minimal dimensions of edges.
Build resolution
Horizontal resolution (or XY resolution) is the smallest movement the printer’s
extruder can make within a layer on the X and the Y axis. The lower the value, the higher
the details the printer produces.
Vertical resolution (or layer thickness or layer height) is the minimal thickness of a
layer that the printer produces in one pass. The smaller the layer thickness, the
smoother the printed surface will be.
Vertical resolution can also be varied by using borders during AM methods like SLM.
Resolution is strongly dependent on what AM method is used for printing a design.
Build resolution
LMD or DED
SLM or LPBF
To achieve smallest possible dimensional deviations, gaps need to be designed with a
minimum gap height of hG ≥ 0.6 mm (LS), hG ≥ 0.2 mm (LM) and hG ≥ 0.4 mm (FDM).
Material accumulation should be avoided during laser melting
Material accumulations lead to thermally induced
stresses, forcing the test specimens to bend out of the
building plane.
L > 30 mm
L > 30 mm
Substrate Substrate
Component orientation is set on the basis of the following quality features:
1. Dimensional accuracy
2. Surface quality
3. Shape accuracy
4. Building costs
5. Building time
6. Component distortion
7. Support volume
8. Utilization of building space
9. Effort of post processing and
accessibility of support structures
L
L/D = 1
D
Early determination of the part
orientation
Bastian Leutenecker‐Twelsiek et al. /
Procedia CIRP 50 ( 2016 ) 408 – 413
Quality features:
1. surface quality,
2. dimensional stability,
3. component distortion,
4. support structure
5. building height
Based on best individual orientations
of each element the overall part
orientation is determined. The design
elements are weighted according to
their importance for the function of
the component. It is likely that
additional effort in post‐processing
is needed when the design element is
not positioned according to its
optimum orientation
Save material by design optimisation
Other hints to consider
when design an object
Material: each material has its own
requirements depending on its
strength, density, brittleness, etc.
For steel
Length of X, Y, Z Minimum
wall thickness
3 mm < X, Y, or Z < 75 mm 1 mm
75 < X, Y, or Z < 150 mm 1.6 mm
150 mm < X, Y, or Z < 200 mm 2 mm
200 mm < X, Y, or Z < 300 mm 3 mm
For titanium minimum wall thickness can be as small
as 0.5 mm for surfaces or features up to 15 mm × 15
mm
General design guides for different materials
https://i.materialise.com/en/3d‐printing‐materials/design‐guides
https://i.materialise.com/blog/en/5‐mistakes‐to‐avoid‐when‐designing‐a‐3d‐model‐for‐
3d‐printing/
File resolution
The quality of the final produce is closely related to the quality of the STL file.
STL file: Design will be translated into triangles in a 3D space.
Low resolution STL A product with low resolution poor quality (many details will be
missed)
3
References
1. G.A.O. Adam, D. Zimmer / CIRP J. Manuf. Sci. Technol. 7 (2014) 20–28
2. B. Leutenecker‐Twelsiek et al./ Procedia CIRP 50 ( 2016 ) 408 – 413
3. F. Calignano / Mater. Design 64 (2014) 203–213.
4. I. Kranz et al./J. Laser Appl. 27 (2015) S14001: 1‐16.