Towards support-free design for 3D printing of thin-walled composite based on stratified manufacturability reinforcement

Abstract

This paper presents a towards support-free design method for 3D printing (3DP) of thin-walled composite based on stratified manufacturability reinforcement (SMR). The thickness classification is carried out on manifold structure to describe probability distribution via probabilistic statistical approaches. The fundamentals of composite materials for functional requirements are introduced for hereafter transient thermal structure coupling calculation. Afterwards, to accomplish 3DP electromechanical servo motion, a mechanical equipment, namely dexterous robot with multi-axis degrees of freedom (DOFs) platform is schematically implemented. Thereout, the towards support-free design model is established likewise at different stratifications, by increasing the DOFs and reachable posture space, for the sake of support diminution. The lightweight ribbed specimens are taken as numerical examples to minimize the support quantitatively of each stratified layer, by investigating the effect of density and accessible workspace on external support amount. The temperature, deformation of both noncomposite and composite during 3DP are compared so as to confirm the manufacturability using Finite element analysis (FEA). The physical experiment is conducted with emphasis on infrared temperature distribution, tensile strength and non-contact optical profilometer where the external support can be evaluated quantitatively by electronic weighing balance. The test results proved that the proposed SMR method can improve the overall manufacturability, by virtue of towards support-free design, owing to considering both composite material properties and machine multi-axis dexterity, even under stringent multiple constraints of high strength and high precision.