Load-oriented additive manufacturing of optimized fiber-reinforced composites

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Schüppstuhl
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550194375

Due to the high achievable stiffness and strength at low weight, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is an attractive material for lightweight construction. Classical manufacturing processes such as hand lay-up, winding or tape laying are often limited in their applicability for complex geometric structures, such as those resulting from structural optimization. Additive manufacturing of CFRP using fused deposition modeling offers the possibility of placing individual fiber strands in the load direction to increase the effectiveness of material use. Furthermore, additive manufacturing enables accelerated development processes and the economical production of small series. The aim of the research project is to overcome this limitation through non-planar printing on machines with higher degrees of freedom. To this end, a manufacturing process for the additive manufacturing of CFRP components is to be developed, with which volumetric bodies can be produced from non-planar layers in a highly automated manner for the first time, taking load case analyses into account. The focus is on the slicing and path planning software and the necessary investigation of the manufacturing process.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants