The research activities of the Center in the ambit of Additive Manufacturing, from a multidisciplinary point of view, concern:
- Design for Additive Manufacturing, which is indispensable in order to take full advantage of construction technologies;
- The simulation of processes that have the aim of identifying windows of the process parameters that have to be inserted into machines in order to reduce the current set-up times as much as possible;
- The development of new materials, and their relative characterization, in order to significantly expand the offer currently available on the market, thus opening the way toward new applications;
- The definition of new and innovative thermal treatments and component finishing processes;
- The integration of Additive Manufacturing techniques with conventional processes in order to take advantage of the positive aspects of both;
- Standardization of products and processes in order to define the procedures that have to be implemented in order to achieve certification;
- The definition of specifications and the development of new generation Additive Manufacturing systems;
- The development of sensor systems dedicated to activating a reliable process control in order to ensure constant quality of the produced components;
- The study of new laser and electron beam sources in order to increase performances;
- The study and management of the data (Big Data) that are generated from Additive Manufacturing processes with the aim of optimizing the performances and of identifying predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.
Sectors
AEROSPACE, one of the first sectors in which advanced powder metallurgy technologies have been widely integrated into the production lines, MECCATRONICA in the area of SMART products on applications for consumer products and industrial and GREEN processes for eco-efficiency and eco-compatibility of production processes. Furthermore, the potential offered by AM technologies is of particular interest in the AUTOMOTIVE sector in the generation and digital storage of spare parts (aftermarket), with related warehouse rationalization, or construction of innovative components with high energy efficiency. Finally, AM technologies provide a valuable aid to the development of customized prostheses (HEALTH AND WELLNESS sector).
Feasibility
Feasibility studies in the entire supply chain of the AM available in the IAM @ PoliTo infrastructure (IR):
- Development of new metal powders
- Chemical, dimensional and morphological characterization of powders
- Design for additive manufacturing including topological optimization of construction products using AM techniques (with metals or polymers) and their realization with the systems available at the IR
- Identification of conditions and realization of specific heat treatments for metal components made of AM
- Study of optimal conditions for hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and realization for small components
- Development of innovative methods for finishing AM components in metallic and polymeric materials
- Development of solutions for dimensional, surface and individual characterization of defects using CT SCAN
- Microstructural characterization, including compositional analysis, of specimens and components produced by metal, polymeric, ceramic additive technologies
- Basic mechanical characterization and products produced by additive manufacturing (hardness, compression, flexion, traction, even at temperatures up to 230 ° C).
EQUIPMENTS
INSPECTION:
- Structured-light 3D scanner Gom ATOS
- Industrial computer tomography (CT) system
- Roland Picza PIX piezo scanner
- CMM DEA Global Image
- Sourface Roughness tester
AM TECHNOLOGIES FOR POLYMER:
- Fused Deposition Modelling (Stratasys F370 and Dimension Elite; Makerbot Replicator 5th generation; BFB 3DTouch; 3nrt A4v3)
- Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).
AM TECHNOLOGIES FOR METAL:
- L-PBF (LASER POWDER BED FUSION):
- EOS Gmbh: EOSINT M270 Dual Mode
- Prima Additive: Prima Sharp
- 250Concept Laser: MLab
- E-PBF (ELECTRO POWDER BED FUSION): Arcam A2X.
PRODUCTION OF METALLIC POWDERS:
- Atomising gas: plant for small batches (3-10kg based on the metal) capable of atomizing aluminum, nickel, high-melting elements, steel, obtaining powders with spherical particles and diameters compatible with AM technologies.
NNS:
- HIP with integrated rapid cooling: useful tool for the development of the HIP treatment suitable for the densification of components made by AM and for their realization on small components (max 160 mm in diameter).
HEAT TREATMENTS:
- Forni per trattamenti termici (stress relieving, tempre, trattamenti per rafforzamento) in atmosfera controllata, in vuoto o in aria fino a 1200 °C,
- Furnaces for heat treatments (stress relieving, tempering, strengthening treatments) in a controlled atmosphere, in vacuum or in air up to 1200 ° C,
MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION:
- Scanning electron microscope + EDS for the microstructural and compositional characterization of metallic, polymeric, ceramic, powder or bulk components;
- Elemental analyzers for the quantification of the elements C, S, N, H, O for powder or bulk
