Additive Manufacturing & Metrology

This research line focuses on manufacturing engineering and technology, especially in the field of additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing processes of joining materials to make objects from CAD or scan data - usually layer upon layer - as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies. In view of competitive manufacturing in a global economy, process and product quality are also important focuses in this research line. This applied research has the intention to lead to innovative consumer, industrial and medical applications.

Research topics

• Selective Laser Melting of metallic and ceramic customised parts for industrial and medical applications

In close cooperation with K.U.Leuven, Faculty of Engineering, Division Production Engineering, Machine Design and Automation , research is focused on Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of metallic and ceramic customised parts for industrial and medical applications. Research is set up to achieve a breakthrough in rapid manufacturing: for a wide range of metallic materials, like various steels, titanium and aluminium; for ceramic materials, like alumina and zirconia; with a resolution, accuracy and surface finish that meets industrial requirements; with properties (density, strength, ...) similar to conventionally produced parts; and with a controllable, reliable, repeatable and economic process.

 

 

• 3D Additive Manufacturing of mechatronic and medical applications

Nowadays manufacturers face the challenge of delivering customized products more quickly than before: multifunctional freeform shaped products with mechanical, electrical, electronic and medical functions. 3D Additive Manufacturing (3D-AM) can be used to face these challenges. 3D-AM refers to a group of technologies used for building parts, all from 3D CAD data, or data from 3D scanning systems. Based on thin horizontal cross sections taken from a 3D computer model, parts are produced, layer by layer, in different types of materials.

 

Without the constraints of the conventional manufacturing technologies, which in the most of the cases are advantageous for mass production, designers are given the freedom to create new designs that before were impossible, impractical, too expensive or with too long delivery times to manufacture.

 

The aim is to explore the possibilities of new materials (electrical conducting or semi conducting materials, bio-compatible or bio-degradable materials) in combination with new fabrication techniques, to manufacture mechatronic and medical applications with a high added value, either as customised one piece or small series production (Rapid Prototyping), either as customised mass production (Rapid Manufacturing).

 

The research activities are focussed on the 3D-AM technologies based on extrusion (wire-, syringe- and screw-extrusion), ink-jet printing and aerosol-jet printing. Starting from those new possibilities, the re-design of existent applications and the design of new applications will be explored.

 

• Metrology
  • Geometrical metrology

Optical 3D measurement technologies for process and quality control, as well for reverse engineering applications.

 

• X-ray Computer Tomography

While X-ray Computer Tomography (CT) has since long been used for medical applications and industrial material inspection, its application field has recently been broadened to include geometrical quality control of industrial parts. In particular, it provides unique possibilities of measuring assemblies, complex external and internal structures, all this in a non-destructive way. But the step to dimensional metrology recommends a much higher accuracy of the CT process. Not only the measurements are influenced by a number of factors and parameters, e.g. work piece orientation, magnification and edge detection, but also the calibration method matters greatly. Therefore research is focused on accuracy improvements and calibration methods, and also on feasibility and restrictions of the CT process.

Ongoing projects

• IWT - SBO “Direct Rapid Manufacturing of metallic and ceramic (customised) parts, DiRaMaP”

Partners:

K.U.Leuven PMA, promoter Jean-Pierre Kruth

Lessius De Nayer, co-promoter André Voet

and other co-promoters

01.04.2008-31.03.2012

• IWT - TETRA “Industriële Computer Tomografie voor dimensionele kwaliteitscontrole van complexe enkelvoudige en samengestelde producten”

Partners:

Groep T, Wim Dewulf, coordinator

K.U.Leuven PMA, Jean-Pierre Kruth

Lessius De Nayer, André Voet

01.10.2008-31.12.2010

• K.U.Leuven Association OOF-project “Integratie van FabLab functionaliteit binnen technologische opleidingsonderdelen”

Partners:

K.U.Leuven PMA, promoter Bert Lauwers

Lessius De Nayer, co-promoter André Voet

Groep T, co-promoter Wim Dewulf

01.01.2010-31.12.2011

• EraSME - IWT - TETRA “3D Additive Manufacturing of Electrical and Electronic Applications”

Partners:

Lessius De Nayer, promoter André Voet

K.U.Leuven PMA, co-promoter Jean-Pierre Kruth

Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg FAPS

T.U. München IWB

01.12.2010-30.11.2013

Welding technology

This research field focusses on the relation between welding parameter sets and quality level of the welds realized. There are two primary research topics namely resistance welding and additive manufacturing, the latter complementary with the techniques used in the research field of fast manufacturing technology.

In the research topic resistance welding special focus is on:

• Welding of exotic materials that are difficult to weld, like Titanium and its alloys, Molybdenum, Niobium and Nickel alloys like Inconel and Kovar
• Optimization of size and position of weld nugget in relation to the thicknesses of the workpieces to weld
• Reduction of wear on welding electrodes
• Research towards the application of additional intermediate layers between electrode and workpiece surfaces
• Application of surface layers on the electrode face to influence welding properties
• Finite element simulation of resistance welding processes
• In Situ optimization of welding applications in running production environments

In the research topic of additive manufacturing special focus is on:

• Application of low-cost welding techniques (based on MIG/MAG and Plasma welding processes) for the production of near-net-shape functional objects in metals (Copper, Steel, Aluminium, Titanium,…) at high deposit rates as additive manufacturing techniques.
• Simultaneous processing of multiple metals. Production of both support structures as functional structures.
• Software development for the application of welding processes in additive manufacturing.

Researchers

• André Voet

  andre.voet@mechelen.lessius.eu

• Patrick Van Rymenant
• Marrijn Casteels
• Jos Dilliën
• Wilfried Pelgrims

• Hans Valkenaers

  hans.valkenaers@mechelen.lessius.eu

• Matthias Van Dyck

  matthias.van.dyck@mechelen.lessius.eu

• Wesley Verheecke

  wesley.verheecke@mechelen.lessius.eu

• Frederik Vogeler

  frederik.vogeler@mechelen.lessius.eu

• Gerry Volders