Study of the lateral pass width for conventional and ultrasonic vibrations-assisted ball burnishing on Ti-6Al-4V specimens

Ball burnishing is a technological finishing process based on plastic deformation of the objective surface by means of a hard ball gliding over it. Along with its easiness of application, possible on the same machine where machining was performed [1], burnishing is a comprehensive process able to achieve surface roughness improvements, and compressive residual stresses up to deep layers of the material [2]. Burnishing results have proved to be depending of a proper selection of parameters, which must be correctly controlled during the process. That is the case of burnishing force or the number of passes [3]. Among these parameters, the lateral pass width has proved to be influential on the surface roughness results, due to the behavior that most materials show when being plastically deformed. In effect, the applied force makes the material to flow to the borders of the burnishing imprint, giving way to a pile-up effect. This paper deals with indentation experiments on Ti-6Al-4V to deepen in the burnishing process of this material. Single burnishing imprints are geometrically characterized combining different levels of force, number of passes, and comparing the conventional process with that assisted with vibrations. An optimal lateral pass width is thus determined, and technological recommendations are made for future applications of the process.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Comparison of thermal performance of 3D printer liquefiers through finite element models

Open source 3D printers have experienced an intense expansion during the last years, mainly because of their accessibility and the vast availability of information thanks to user communities. This fact presents researchers with a perfect context for hardware innovation, by improving the overall printing process, also in terms of durability of the printing machine. A 3D printer liquefier must transmit heat to the thermoplastic material in order to extrude it, reaching temperatures above 200 degrees for some materials like ABS on the tip of the nozzle. The design of the heating process must comply with keeping the balance between proper heating of the material and controlling the temperature along the extruding body, so that the printer itself is not harmed for overtemperature. On the other hand, the design must guarantee that the melting front is located in an intermediate point between the nozzle tip and the entrance of the raw material, to minimize pressure drops in the system, and so decreasing the demanding energy to the feeding motors. An alternative design of the heating system, Twist3D, is proposed in this paper.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Surface roughness assessment after different strategy patterns of ultrasonic ball burnishing

Ball burnishing is a comprehensive finishing process consisting on deforming plastically a certain surface by the action of a rolling sphere-shaped indenter. In this work, an AISI 1038 workpiece is burnished in two phases. The first phase covers the burnishing of a 10x10 mm patch, performed along the direction of the previous milling. The second pass is applied on the previous patch, following three different strategies, namely, parallel, perpendicular and at a 45-degrees angle with regards to that first burnishing direction. The comparison between the non-vibration assisted ball burnishing (NVABB) and vibration-assisted ball burnishing (VABB) effects is included in the study. To assess the influence of these strategies on the final roughness profile, an L9 Taguchi orthogonal array is designed, including as factors the vibrations amplitude, the burnishing force, and the lateral pass width. Surface roughness is measured and compared to determine the optimal burnishing orientation. The VABB process proves to be more effective in surface roughness improvement. Technical recommendations are given to select the best process parameters inside the tested levels for each factor. All burnishing strategy prove to have different effects on the surface, and should be selected according to the preferential burnishing direction and in service application of the part.Postprint (published version

Experimental analysis of manufacturing parameters’ effect on the flexural properties of wood-PLA composite parts built through FFF

This paper aims to determine the flexural stiffness and strength of a composite made of a polylactic acid reinforced with wood particles, named commercially as Timberfill, manufactured through fused filament fabrication (FFF). The influence of four factors (layer height, nozzle diameter, fill density, and printing velocity) is studied through an L27Taguchi orthogonal array. The response variables used as output results for an analysis of variance are obtained from a set of four-point bending tests. Results show that the layer height is the most influential parameter on flexural strength, followed by nozzle diameter and infill density, whereas the printing velocity has no significant influence. Ultimately, an optimal parameter set that maximizes the material’s flexural strength is found by combining a 0.2-mm layer height, 0.7-mm nozzle diameter, 75% fill density, and 35-mm/s velocity. The highest flexural resistance achieved experimentally is 47.26 MPa. The statistical results are supported with microscopic photographs of fracture sections, and validated by comparing them with previous studies performed on non-reinforced PLA material, proving that the introduction of wood fibers in PLA matrix reduces the resistance of raw PLA by hindering the cohesion between filaments and generating voids inside it. Lastly, five solid Timberfill specimens manufactured by injection molding were also tested to compare their strength with the additive manufactured samples. Results prove that treating the wood-PLA through additive manufacturing results in an improvement of its resistance and elastic properties, being the Young’s module almost 25% lower than the injected material.Preprin

Impresión 3D: Del laboratorio a casa. Programa de divulgación científico-tecnológica sobre la tecnología de impresión 3D

La impresión 3D comienza a ser un fenómeno tecnológico en España, dada la gran variedad de modelos a la venta para aquellas personas emprendedoras que deseen disponer de esta tecnología en su entorno doméstico. Sin embargo, existe un gran desconocimiento sobre de qué consiste la tecnología en que se basa, y cuales son sus potencialidades. Los investigadores implicados en este proyecto han emprendido una serie de acciones financiadas por la FECYT que se realizarán durante el 2015, con la intención de divulgar los avances científicos ligados a las impresoras 3D, y, en particular, a la tecnología en que se basa la fabricación de piezas con estos dispositivos: la FDM (fused deposition modeling). Estas acciones pasan por el lanzamiento de una web donde se publicarán programas y documentales de producción propia sobre impresión 3D, una aplicación móvil que facilite la conexión entre dispositivos móviles e impresoras, y la celebración de cursos de formación destinados a público no universitario que les permitan entrar en contacto con estos dispositivos. Se espera que cientos de personas no universitarias se sientan interesadas en incorporar a su ámbito doméstico una impresora 3D como una nueva herramienta de futur

Mechanical properties of 3D-printing polylactic acid parts subjected to bending stress and fatigue testing

This paper aims to analyse the mechanical properties response of polylactic acid (PLA) parts manufactured through fused filament fabrication. The influence of six manufacturing factors (layer height, filament width, fill density, layer orientation, printing velocity, and infill pattern) on the flexural resistance of PLA specimens is studied through an L27 Taguchi experimental array. Different geometries were tested on a four-point bending machine and on a rotating bending machine. From the first experimental phase, an optimal set of parameters deriving in the highest flexural resistance was determined. The results show that layer orientation is the most influential parameter, followed by layer height, filament width, and printing velocity, whereas the fill density and infill pattern show no significant influence. Finally, the fatigue fracture behaviour is evaluated and compared with that of previous studies’ results, in order to present a comprehensive study of the mechanical properties of the material under different kind of solicitations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A comparative study of the thermal behavior of three different 3D printer liquefiers

The expansion of 3D printing systems as mechatronic devices able to localize manufacturing activities has attracted the attention in academic and professional labs worldwide. However, little is known from a formal point of view about the actual possibilities of optimization in terms of hardware and software. This paper proposes alternative geometrical designs of RepRap 3D printer liquefiers, and offers an evaluation of their thermal performance by analyzing the temperature profiles derived from their functioning in a steady state regime. For that purpose, finite element calculation and experimental techniques are combined and compared. A detachable model of liquefier, used in numerous RepRap 3D printers, has been taken as a reference to design and manufacture two new variations. As the objective of the liquefier is to heat the plastic material while limiting the temperature at its top, heat conduction must be prevented by means of a refrigerating fan faced at the liquefier body. The effect of that fan has been introduced in the system of study, by evaluating the influence of five different fan velocities on the final temperature profile. All combinations of fan speed and liquefier geometry have been calculated through a finite elements model. Then, they have been reproduced experimentally, measuring discrete temperatures at different heights of the liquefier by a group of thermocouples installed on the surface of the fins composing the liquefier heat sink. Results showed that the defined FEM model reproduces acceptably the final temperature profiles obtained by experimental measures. Furthermore, the new proposed design provided with thick fins shows its good performance when the 3D printing process is performed with a fan speed higher than 10% (defined according to a PWM function programmed at the 3D printer's firmware), while its design presents a much lower manufacturing time with regards to the present available design. It is also concluded that refrigerating the liquefier during a standard 3D printing process with an airflow higher than PWM¿=¿20% is not recommended, due to a fall in efficiency and not remarkable refrigerating effect obtained through it.Postprint (author's final draft

Fatigue performance of ABS specimens obtained by fused filament fabrication

In this paper, the fatigue response of fused filament fabrication (FFF) Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) parts is studied. Different building parameters (layer height, nozzle diameter, infill density, and printing speed) were chosen to study their influence on the lifespan of cylindrical specimens according to a design of experiments (DOE) using the Taguchi methodology. The same DOE was applied on two different specimen sets using two different infill patterns—rectilinear and honeycomb. The results show that the infill density is the most important parameter for both of the studied patterns. The specimens manufactured with the honeycomb pattern show longer lifespans. The best parameter set associated to that infill was chosen for a second experimental phase, in which the specimens were tested under different maximum bending stresses so as to construct the Wöhler curve associated with this 3D printing configuration. The results of this study are useful to design and manufacture ABS end-use parts that are expected to work under oscillating periodic loads.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Efectos del bruñido con bola acustoplástico sobre la integridad superficial de Ti6Al4V

Postprint (published version

Study of the influence of the manufacturing parameters on tensile properties of thermoplastic elastomers

Additive manufacturing (AM) has increased its field of application, not only for prototypes but also for final parts. Therefore, the need of study new materials is currently growing. This paper aims to study the effect of the printing parameters used in two different thermoplastic elasto-mers (PEBA 90A and TPU 98A) subjected to tensile tests, evaluating a competent alternative to the most used 3D printed materials now. To achieve it, a full factorial design of experiment is applied to analyze the influence on the tensile responses of two printing parameters: the layer height and the fill density. Besides, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to describe the rela-tions among the parameters and the mechanical responses obtained. Moreover, assessment of damping properties have been done. Results show that each thermoplastic elastomer should be studied separately, although the proposed methodology can be used for each material inde-pendently of their nature. Finally, a correlation between the printing parameters and the me-chanical behavior of TPU 98A and PEBA 90A has been found, resulting the layer height and the infill statistically influent parameters for both materials.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraPostprint (published version