@article{StichelLaumerBaumuelleretal., author = {Stichel, Thomas and Laumer, Tobias and Baum{\"u}ller, Tobias and Amend, Philipp and Roth, Stephan}, title = {Powder Layer Preparation Using Vibration-controlled Capillary Steel Nozzles for Additive Manufacturing}, series = {Physics Procedia}, volume = {56}, journal = {Physics Procedia}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {1875-3892}, doi = {10.1016/j.phpro.2014.08.158}, pages = {157 -- 166}, abstract = {In this report, the dry delivery of polyamide 12 powders by vibrating capillary steel nozzles is investigated and discussed regarding its potential for powder layer preparation in Laser Beam Melting. Therefore, a setup including a steel nozzle assembled on a piezoelectric actuator is presented, which enables the precise control over very small powder quantities by vibration excitation. An analysis reveals that the mass flow through the nozzle can be adjusted by the vibration modes in a certain range depending on the nozzle's specifications, whereas the vibration modes themselves show a complicated behaviour. Using a positioning system in combination with the vibrating nozzle, single-layer patterns consisting of polyamide 12 are produced and characterized regarding surface homogeneity and selectivity using a laser stripe sensor.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LaumerSchmidtStichel, author = {Laumer, Tobias and Schmidt, Michael and Stichel, Thomas}, title = {Influence of temperature gradients on the part properties for the simultaneous laser beam melting of polymers}, series = {Proceedings of Laser in Manfacturing Conference 2015, June 22 - June 25, 2015 Munich, Germany}, booktitle = {Proceedings of Laser in Manfacturing Conference 2015, June 22 - June 25, 2015 Munich, Germany}, organization = {German Scientific Laser Society (WLT e.V.)}, abstract = {By Laser Beam Melting of polymers (LBM), parts with almost any geometry can be built directly out of CAD files without the need for additional tools. Thus, prototypes or parts in small series production can be generated within short times. Up to now, no multi-material parts have been built by LBM, which is a major limitation of the technology. To realize multi-material parts, new mechanisms for depositing different polymer powders as well as a new irradiation strategy are needed, by which polymers with different melting temperatures can be warmed to their specific preheating temperatures and be molten simultaneously. This is achieved by simultaneous laser beam melting (SLBM). In the process, two different materials are deposited next to each other and preheated a few degrees below their melting temperatures by infrared emitters and laser radiation (λ = 10.60 µm), before in the last step the two preheated powders are molten simultaneously by an additional laser (λ = 1.94 µm). So far, multi-material tensile bars have been realized and analyzed regarding their boundary zone between both materials. The experiments showed that the temperature gradients in the boundary zone and along the building direction seem to be of great importance for the process stability and the resulting part properties. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the occurring temperature gradients during the process is needed to identify adequate process adjustments regarding the temperature controlling. To analyze the temperature gradients, thermocouples positioned inside the powder bed are used. By varying the temperature of the building platform, the influence of different temperature gradients on the resulting part properties is shown.}, language = {en} } @article{StichelLaumerLinnenweberetal., author = {Stichel, Thomas and Laumer, Tobias and Linnenweber, Tim and Amend, Philipp and Roth, Stephan}, title = {Mass Flow Characterization of Selective Deposition of Polymer Powders with Vibrating Nozzles for Laser Beam Melting of Multi-material Components}, series = {Physics Procedia}, volume = {83}, journal = {Physics Procedia}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam [u.a.]}, issn = {1875-3892}, doi = {10.1016/j.phpro.2016.08.099}, pages = {947 -- 953}, abstract = {The generation of multi-material components by laser beam melting (LBM) is a challenge which requires the invention of new coating devices for preparation of arbitrary powder patterns. One solution is the usage of vibration-controlled nozzles for selective deposition of polymer powders. Powder flow can be initiated by vibration enabling a start-stop function without using any mechanical shutter. In this report, the delivery of polymer powder by vibrating nozzles is investigated with respect to their application in LBM machines. Therefore, a steel nozzle attached to a piezo actor and a weighing cell is used in order to measure the stability and time-dependence of the powder mass flow upon vibration excitation with the usage of different kind of powder formulations. The results show that precompression of the powder inside the nozzle by vibration excitation is essential to realize a reliable start-stop function with reproducible discharge cyles and to prevent a initial flush of powder flow. Moreover, the use of different powder materials showed that mass flow is even possible with powders which are not optimized regarding flowability, but is readily enhanced with a factor of 2 to 3 by admixing Aerosil® fumed silica.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LaumerAppelSticheletal., author = {Laumer, Tobias and Appel, Peter and Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp}, title = {Untersuchungen zum Absorptionsverhalten von Pulversch{\"u}ttungen f{\"u}r das Laserstrahlschmelzen von Kunststoffen Conference}, series = {Rapid.Tech, 2013, Erfurt}, booktitle = {Rapid.Tech, 2013, Erfurt}, abstract = {Die Energieeinbringung in Form von elektromagnetischer Strahlung in das Pulverbett beim selektiven Laserstrahlschmelzprozess von Kunststoffen wird maßgeblich durch das Absorptionsverhalten der Pulverwerkstoffe bestimmt. Aufgrund von Vielfachreflexionen an den einzelnen Pulverpartikeln in den Poren weisen Pulverwerkstoffe im Vergleich zu makroskopischen Festk{\"o}rpern andere Absorptionseigenschaften auf. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird daher ein geeigneter Messaufbau zur Bestimmung der optischen Materialeigenschaften von verschiedenen Pulverwerkstoffen vorgestellt. Mittels eines Ulbricht-Kugel-Messaufbaus wird der Reflexions-, der Transmissions- und der Absorptionsgrad von pulverf{\"o}rmigen Werkstoffen bei einer Wellenl{\"a}nge von 10,6 µm eines CO2-Lasers und unterschiedlichen Schichtst{\"a}rken ermittelt. Neben den Werkstoffen Polyamid 12 und Polyethylen im reinen Zustand werden Mischungen mit Additiven, wie beispielsweise Graphit, analysiert und verglichen. Durch die Beimischungen kann eine f{\"u}r den Schmelzprozess zu geringe Absorption des reinen Kunststoffes wie im Fall von Polyethylen-Pulver bei einer Wellenl{\"a}nge von 10,6 µm gezielt erh{\"o}ht werden, wodurch die Entwicklung neuer Pulverwerkstoffe erleichtert wird.}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{LaumerKoopmannSticheletal., author = {Laumer, Tobias and Koopmann, Jonas and Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp}, title = {Generation of multi-material parts with alternating material layers by Simultaneous Laser Beam Meltingof polymers}, series = {International Conference on Additive Technologies, 15 - 17 Oct 2014, Wien}, booktitle = {International Conference on Additive Technologies, 15 - 17 Oct 2014, Wien}, abstract = {By using Additive Manufacturing technologies, like Laser Beam Melting (LBM) of polymers, parts can be realized within single days and necessary modifications can be quickly adapted. With increasing complexity, products are often made out of different polymer materials and the need for multi-material parts is an increasing industry requirement, which cannot be fulfilled by the single material parts realizable by LBM. Therefore, Simultaneous Laser Beam Melting (SLBM) as a new Additive Manufacturing technology offers the possibility to build parts consisting of different polymer materials. The realizable parts combine different material properties, like differing stiffness or chemical resistances, within a single part. Up to now, different materials are deposited next to each other on the building platform, thus the boundary surface between the different polymers is orientated perpendicular to the building direction. For this paper, the polymer powders are alternated in building direction. Thus, the boundary surface is orientated horizontally and is larger, both influencing the boundary surface and resulting part properties, which are analyzed by a high-resolution thermal imaging system and by cross sections.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{StichelAmendLaumeretal., author = {Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp and Laumer, Tobias and Roth, Stephan}, title = {Electrostatic Multi-Material Powder Deposition for Simultaneous Laser Beam Melting}, series = {International Conference on Information, Communication and Automation Technologies (ICAT), 2014, Wien}, booktitle = {International Conference on Information, Communication and Automation Technologies (ICAT), 2014, Wien}, abstract = {In this paper, the use of electrostatic polymer powder transfer methods for the preparation of multi-material layers is discussed with respect to the application in Simultaneous Laser Beam Melting (SLBM). Therefore, the basic principles of the single process steps as well as the challenges in combination with SLBM are considered verifying the critical process steps. On that base, process concepts are developed which might enable the fabrication of high quality multi-material parts in the future. Moreover, since the polymer powders typically used with Laser Beam Melting differ strongly from common toners for e. g. electrophotographic printing, an experimental setup was built to study the powder transfer with an electrically chargeable transfer plate using polyamide 12 powder. The results of this study show that transfer of powders usable for Laser Beam Melting can be achieved, but depends on the electric field strength which is a function of the gap between transfer and substrate plate and the intermediate electric potential.}, language = {en} } @article{StichelAmendLaumeretal., author = {Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp and Laumer, Tobias and Roth, Stephan}, title = {Polymer Powder Deposition using Vibrating Capillary Nozzles for Additive Manufacturing}, series = {Information, Communication and Automation Technologies (ICAT), 2014, Wien}, journal = {Information, Communication and Automation Technologies (ICAT), 2014, Wien}, abstract = {Abstract — In this report, the dry delivery of polyamide 12 (PA 12) powder for the preparation of powder layers in laser beam melting (LBM) is investigated. Therefore, an experimental setup was built which consists of a glass nozzle assembled on a piezo-electric actuator. By applying a sinusoidal voltage signal to the actuator, the nozzle is set into vibration mode which enhances the powder delivery through the nozzle. By using this effect, powder mass flow is controlled and a valve-like start and stop function is realized. In order to identify suitable process parameters, a broad range of vibration modes were investigated using two nozzles made from glass with different orifice diameters. Therefore, the vibration frequency and the voltage signal of the actuator were varied and the resulting mass flow was detected by a balance. It was found that both the frequency and the voltage signal affect the mass flow and its stability but with different impact. Moreover, powder lines were deposited with different velocities in order to characterize the setup regarding applicability for highly selective powder deposition for LBM.}, language = {en} } @article{LaumerStichelRiedlbaueretal., author = {Laumer, Tobias and Stichel, Thomas and Riedlbauer, Daniel and Amend, Philipp and Mergheim, Julia and Schmidt, Michael}, title = {Realization of multi-material polymer parts by simultaneous laser beam melting}, series = {Journal of Laser Micro / Nanoengineering}, volume = {10}, journal = {Journal of Laser Micro / Nanoengineering}, number = {2}, publisher = {Japan Laser Processing Society}, abstract = {In this paper, first results regarding the realization of multi-material parts by Simultaneous Laser Beam Melting (SLBM) of polymers are presented. This new approach allows the layerwise generation of parts consisting of different polymer materials within one building process. Besides the typical advantages of additive manufacturing technologies, such parts can fulfill different product requirements concomitant and therefore could enlarge the overall field of application. The powder materials used for this paper are polyethylene (PE) and a polyamide based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). After depositing the powder materials next to each other, infrared-emitters heat the lower melting polymer and a CO2 laser provides the preheating temperature of the higher melting polymer. In the last step, a thulium fibre laser melts the two preheated powders simultaneously. The realized specimens are characterized by cross sections and their tensile strengths are determined. Additionally, the new approach of the simultaneous energy irradiation is investigated using a Finite Element Analysis in order to gain a more profound process understanding. In that sense, the influence of the size of the exposure area on the reachable maximum temperatures inside that area was analyzed by the simulation and compared to experimental studies.}, language = {en} } @article{LaumerStichelAmendetal., author = {Laumer, Tobias and Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp and Schmidt, Michael}, title = {Simultaneous laser beam melting of multimaterial polymer parts}, series = {Journal of Laser Applications}, volume = {27}, journal = {Journal of Laser Applications}, number = {S2}, publisher = {Laser Institute of America}, issn = {1938-1387}, doi = {10.2351/1.4906303}, abstract = {By simultaneous laser beam melting (SLBM), parts consisting of different polymer powders can be additively manufactured within one building process. Besides the advantages of conventional LBM, e.g., not needing additional tools and being able to realize parts with almost any geometry, different product requirements can be achieved within a single part. Product requirements may be different chemical resistances or haptic material properties. Therefore, SLBM enlarges the application field for additive manufacturing in general. In the process, two different materials are deposited on the building platform and preheated a few degrees below the melting temperature of the lower melting polymer by infrared emitters. Afterward, a CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) provides the energy for the temperature difference between the preheating temperatures of both materials. Finally, a digital light processing chip is used to achieve simultaneous and flexible energy deposition for melting both preheated polymers. By illuminating the chip with a laser, parts of the beam can be flexibly guided onto the powder bed or into a beam trap. As laser, a single mode thulium laser (λ = 1.94 μm) is used. After melting the layer, a new layer is deposited and the process starts anew. In this paper, polypropylene and polyamide 12 are used as materials. After analyzing the material and melting behavior during the process by a high-resolution thermal imaging system, the parts are qualified regarding their material compatibility at the boundary zone and porosity by cross sections.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{StichelAmendLaumeretal., author = {Stichel, Thomas and Amend, Philipp and Laumer, Tobias and Roth, Stephan}, title = {Multi-material deposition of polymer powders with vibrating nozzles inside laser beam melting machines}, series = {6th International Conference on Additive Technologies - iCAT 2016 : proceedings : N{\"u}rnberg, Germany, 29.-30. November 2016}, booktitle = {6th International Conference on Additive Technologies - iCAT 2016 : proceedings : N{\"u}rnberg, Germany, 29.-30. November 2016}, publisher = {Interesansa - zavod}, address = {Ljubljana}, abstract = {The generation of multi-material components using Laser beam melting (LBM) is a challenge which requires the invention of new coating devices for the preparation of arbitrary powder patterns. One solution is the usage of vibration-controlled nozzles for selective deposition of polymer powders. Powder flow can be initiated by vibration even when using powders with low flowability. In this report, the selective deposition of polymer powder by vibrating nozzles is investigated with respect to their application in LBM machines. Therefore, a steel nozzle attached to a piezo actor is applied, whereas the nozzle itself features internal channels which allow the precise control of the powder temperature using heat transfer oil. The setup is used to study the influence of temperature on the powder mass flow. The results show that, next to the vibration mode, the temperature strongly influences the powder mass flow which is done by affecting the moisture and thus the particle-particle adhesion forces. This shows that a precise control of the powder temperature inside the nozzle is required in order to achieve a constant mass flow and thus a successful application of vibrating nozzles inside LBM machines.}, language = {en} }