Ultrasonically embedded wires in multi-material parts produced by hybrid additive manufacturing

Abstract

The maturation of additive manufacturing has led to hybrid, convergent manufacturing techniques wherein multiple technologies merge to produce parts with enhanced functionalities like the combination of electrical, mechanical, and electromagnetic as opposed to the singular functionality, often physical, produced by a single technology. In this research, a hybrid manufacturing approach using material extrusion additive manufacturing, ultrasonic wire embedding, and robotics was used to produce plastic test coupons with embedded wires to determine impact on mechanical properties. Embedded wires can realize the function of electrical/thermal conductivity or electromagnetic wave transmission/reception. Since embedded wires result in a decrease in structural capability, finite element analysis and tensile testing was carried out to quantify the strength and elongation decrease as a result of interrupting the printing process and inclusion of wires. Through SEM and fractography, it was also shown that microfracture propagation was disrupted due to the embedded wires highlighting the limited transfer of mechanical loads to the embedded wires. The characterization in this work enabled the creation of data sets, which has great utility in the design of printed, multi-functional, and satellite components.