Precise, flexible and modular 6 dimensional additive manufacturing platform including individual in-situ analysis

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Rainer Börret; Professor Dr. Andreas Heinrich; Professor Dr.-Ing. Harald Riegel
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 326738811

The aim of the project is to develop an additive manufacturing platform with 6 degrees of freedom in combination with an in-situ analysis and structuring unit. The platform should be accessible to research groups. For this purpose, the individual modules of the platform were realized in the first phase of the project: on a vibration-dampened table a robot kinematics im installed, which can flexibly move a 3D printing unit (Module 1). In addition, a laser structuring unit was developed (Module 2) and various analysis units (Module 3) which can be operated parallel to the printing process by means of a second robot arm. In order to achieve a high print resolution, accurate sample movement via a hexapod is possible. For referencing the individual kinematics to each other, a corresponding optical measuring system has been developed.The following second phase of the project is divided into 3 work packages. The goal in WP 1 is the further development of the manufacturing platform. On the one hand, this includes the integration of the individual modules into an entire platform and, on the other hand, the realization of additional functionalities. The goal in WP 2 is to take care about the research questions related to the development of the platform. These include in-depth investigations into the structuring of 3D printed materials using the integrated laser system, further studies on the double-patterning process, analysis of light propagation in printed optical fibers, and basic experiments on the interaction of electric fields with printed microlenses. In WP 3, the research platform for initial pilot projects will be used to evaluate the performance of the additive manufacturing platform. A total of 5 cooperation partners from various fields of research were selected, in order to work out their research questions using the platform.The project is realized through the cooperation of three research groups of Hochschule Aalen.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants