Selective Laser Melting of Porous Structures

Within the Center of Smart Interfaces “Understanding and Designing Fluid Boundaries”, a German Excellence Initiative, the Institute of Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools examines the manufacturing of porous structures by using selective laser melting (SLM). In this paper two different strategies are presented in order to obtain porosity: One strategy is to manufacture geometrically defined lattice structures. SLM allows here complex geometries that cannot be manufactured by conventional technologies to be built. The second approach is to manufacture geometrically undefined porosity by a specific modification of exposure parameters. The SLM generated porous structures are investigated with respect to the heat and mass transfer. The research focus is to increase the efficiency of spraycooling effects and the manipulation of the Leidenfrost point.Mechanical Engineerin

Additive manufacturing of reliable piezoelectric actuator modules

In this study, selective laser melting is used to manufacture actuator modules by fully integrating piezoelectric multilayer actuators into a metallic housing. The objective is to protect the actuator from non-uniaxial forces and environmental influences, both of which limit performance and reliability. As an additive manufacturing technology, selective laser melting is capable of a flexible and cost-efficient production in small lot sizes. This is particularly relevant for adaptronic applications since these are often individualized and so far have a rather low but emerging market volume. The characterization of the manufactured actuator modules demonstrates good working performance, reproducible results, and improved reliability