Smoothing the Rough Edges: Evaluating Automatically Generated Multi-Lattice Transitions

Additive manufacturing is advantageous for producing lightweight components while addressing complex design requirements. This capability has been bolstered by the introduction of unit lattice cells and the gradation of those cells. In cases where loading varies throughout a part, it may be beneficial to use multiple, distinct lattice cell types, resulting in multi-lattice structures. In such structures, abrupt transitions between unit cell topologies may cause stress concentrations, making the boundary between unit cell types a primary failure point. Thus, these regions require careful design in order to ensure the overall functionality of the part. Although computational design approaches have been proposed, smooth transition regions are still difficult to achieve, especially between lattices of drastically different topologies. This work demonstrates and assesses a method for using variational autoencoders to automate the creation of transitional lattice cells, examining the factors that contribute to smooth transitions. Through computational experimentation, it was found that the smoothness of transition regions was strongly predicted by how closely the endpoints were in the latent space, whereas the number of transition intervals was not a sole predictor.Comment: 23 Pages, 8 Figure

Exploring Variability in Material Properties of Multi-Material Jetting Parts

With Additive Manufacturing (AM) capabilities rapidly expanding in industrial applications, there exists a need to quantify materials' mechanical properties to ensure reliable performance that is robust to variations in environment and build orientation. While prior research has examined process-parameter and environmental effects for AM processes such as extrusion, vat photopolymerization, and powder bed fusion, existing similar research on the material jetting process is limited. Focusing on polypropylene-like (VeroWhitePlus) and elastomer-like (TangoBlackPlus) materials, the authors first characterize the anisotropic properties of six different gradients produced from mixing the two materials in preset quantities. Three build orientations were used to fabricate parts and analyze tensile stress, modulus of elasticity, and elongation at break for each material. The authors also present results from an investigation of how aging of parts in different lighting conditions affects material properties. The results from these experiments provide an enhanced understanding of the material behaviors relating to material jetting process parameters and can inform material selection when manufacturing loadbearing parts.Mechanical Engineerin

Multiple-Material Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms Created via Polyjet 3D Printing

Compliant mechanisms are able to transfer motion, force, and energy using a monolithic structure without discrete hinge elements. The geometric design freedoms and multi-material capability offered by the PolyJet 3D printing process enables the fabrication of compliant mechanisms with optimized topology. The inclusion of multiple materials in the topology optimization process has the potential to eliminate the narrow, weak, hinge-like sections that are often present in single-material compliant mechanisms. In this paper, the authors propose a design and fabrication process for the realization of 3-phase, multiple-material compliant mechanisms. The process is tested on a 2D compliant force inverter. Experimental and theoretical performance of the resulting 3-phase inverter is compared against a standard 2-phase design.Mechanical Engineerin

Hybrid Geometry/Property Autoencoders for Multi-Lattice Transitions

Additive manufacturing has revolutionized structural optimization by enhancing component strength and reducing material requirements. One approach used to achieve these improvements is the application of multi-lattice structures. The performance of these structures heavily relies on the detailed design of mesostructural elements. Many current approaches use data-driven design to generate multi-lattice transition regions, making use of models that jointly address the geometry and properties of the mesostructures. However, it remains unclear whether the integration of mechanical properties into the data set for generating multi-lattice interpolations is beneficial beyond geometry alone. To address this issue, this work implements and evaluates a hybrid geometry/property machine learning model for generating multi-lattice transition regions. We compare the results of this hybrid model to results obtained using a geometry-only model. Our research determined that incorporating physical properties decreased the number of variables to address in the latent space, and therefore improves the ability of generative models for developing transition regions of multi-lattice structures.Mechanical Engineerin

Dreaming of Data: Examining Data Augmentation for Machine Learning in Additive Manufacturing

The data generated during additive manufacturing (AM) practice can be used to train machine learning (ML) tools to reduce defects, optimize mechanical properties, or increase efficiency. In addition to the size of the repository, emerging research shows that other characteristics of the data also impact suitability of the data for AM-ML application. What should be done in cases for which the data in too small, too homogeneous, or otherwise insufficient? Data augmentation techniques present a solution, offering automated methods for increasing the quality of data. However, many of these techniques were developed for machine vision tasks, and hence their suitability for AM data has not been verified. In this study, several data augmentation techniques are applied to synthetic design repositories to characterize if and to what degree they enhance their performance as ML training sets. We discuss the comparative advantage of these data augmentation techniques across several canonical AM-ML tasks.Mechanical Engineerin

Diverse BRCA1 and BRCA2 Reversion Mutations in Circulating Cell-Free DNA of Therapy-Resistant Breast or Ovarian Cancer

Purpose:; Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy or PARP inhibition in germline; BRCA1; or; BRCA2; mutation carriers may occur through somatic reversion mutations or intragenic deletions that restore BRCA1 or BRCA2 function. We assessed whether; BRCA1/2; reversion mutations could be identified in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of patients with ovarian or breast cancer previously treated with platinum and/or PARP inhibitors.; Experimental Design:; cfDNA from 24 prospectively accrued patients with germline; BRCA1; or; BRCA2; mutations, including 19 patients with platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer and five patients with platinum and/or PARP inhibitor pretreated metastatic breast cancer, was subjected to massively parallel sequencing targeting all exons of 141 genes and all exons and introns of; BRCA1; and; BRCA2; Functional studies were performed to assess the impact of the putative; BRCA1/2; reversion mutations on BRCA1/2 function.; Results:; Diverse and often polyclonal putative; BRCA1; or; BRCA2; reversion mutations were identified in cfDNA from four patients with ovarian cancer (21%) and from two patients with breast cancer (40%).; BRCA2; reversion mutations were detected in cfDNA prior to PARP inhibitor treatment in a patient with breast cancer who did not respond to treatment and were enriched in plasma samples after PARP inhibitor therapy. Foci formation and immunoprecipitation assays suggest that a subset of the putative reversion mutations restored BRCA1/2 function.; Conclusions:; Putative; BRCA1/2; reversion mutations can be detected by cfDNA sequencing analysis in patients with ovarian and breast cancer. Our findings warrant further investigation of cfDNA sequencing to identify putative; BRCA1/2; reversion mutations and to aid the selection of patients for PARP inhibition therapy.; Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6708-20. ©2017 AACR;

Exploring the Manufacturability and Resistivity of Conductive Filament Used in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has the unique ability to build multifunctional parts with embedded electronics without the need for post-print assembly. However, many existing forms of multifunctional AM are not easily accessible to hobby-level users. Most hobby-level desktop 3D printers are only used with non-conductive filaments. Recently however, conductive filaments have become increasingly available for material extrusion desktop printers. Ideally, the use of these filaments would allow circuitry to be printed simultaneously with the rest of the structure, enabling complex, inexpensive, multifunctional structures. However, the resistivity of conductive filament is significantly impacted by the geometry of the print and the printing parameters used in the build process. In this study, two types of commercially-available conductive filament were tested under a variety of parameters. It was found that print temperature, layer height, and orientation all significantly affect the resistivity in various ways. The knowledge from this research will allow users to design better multifunctional parts that have reduced resistivity.Mechanical Engineerin

Influence of Embedding Process on Mechanical Properties of Material Extrusion Parts

The layer-by- layer deposition of material in Additive Manufacturing (AM) introduces the capability for in-situ embedding of functional components into printed parts. The typical embedding process involves, i) designing the cavity for the embedded component, ii) pausing the print when the top layer of the cavity is reached, iii) manually inserting the component, and iv) resuming the build process. However, the effect of different interfacial materials (due to the presence or absence of a shape converter) and the pause time during the build process on a part’s material properties is not well-understood. Therefore, the tensile strength of 3D-printed embedded specimens with and without shape converters and with different intervals of pause time is tested in this study. The results from this experimental analysis can be useful for the design guidelines for AM with embedded components as they provide an initial understanding of mechanical properties of these parts.Mechanical Engineerin

Quantifying the Effect of Embedded Component Orientation on Flexural Properties in Additively Manufactured Structures

In-situ embedding with Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables a user to insert functional components in a part by pausing the print, inserting the component into a specially designed cavity, and then resuming the print. This introduces the capability to merge the reliable functionality of external parts into AM structures, allowing multifunctional products to be manufactured in a single build. Previous research has shown that process interruption introduces weaknesses at the paused layer, and the presence of an embedding cavity further reduces the maximum tensile strength of the part. The research presented in this paper expands this understanding by investigating the impact of the process and design considerations for embedding on the strength of the material extrusion parts. A cuboidal geometry is embedded with different orientations with a flush surface at the paused layer, and tested for maximum bending strength. The findings help to further design guidelines for embedding with material extrusion AM.Mechanical Engineerin