CAREER: Electrophotographic Solid Freeform Fabrication

该职业奖将研究整合到一种新的方法中，以执行固体自由成形制造（SFF），并制定广泛的教育计划，以促进学生和行业人员的SFF基础知识。 研究的重点是设计和建立一个固体自由成形制造系统的基础上，一种新的方法，用于制造零件和组件的粉末逐层沉积，其中粉末是使用电子照相沉积。 在这种方法中，两种类型的粉末，零件粉末和支撑粉末被逐层沉积到模具中，使得零件粉末具有所需零件的形状并被支撑粉末包围。 随后的压实和烧结将使零件粉末固结并熔融至高密度和强度，同时支撑材料保持粉末形式。 这种方法的优点包括能够使用各种材料，以灰度级打印粉末，以受控方式混合粉末，在零件内创建成分梯度，并通过印刷电路将电子器件嵌入零件中。 教育计划包括开发一个设计工作室，并创建新的教学工具和课程材料，以使计算机集成设计，分析和SFF制造领域的课程现代化。 设想的设计工作室将包括一个配备设计和分析软件的网络计算设施，以及快速原型和数控加工设备，以提供集成设计和快速制造的实践经验。

This CAREER award integrates research into a novel method to perform solid freeform fabrication (SFF) with a broad educational plan to advance the fundamentals of SFF to students and industry personnel. The focus of the research is to design and build a solid freeform fabrication system based on a novel method for fabrication of parts and assemblies by layer by layer deposition of powder, where the powder is deposited using electrophotography. In this approach, two types of powders, a part powder and a support powder are deposited layer-by-layer into a die such that the part powder has the shape of the desired part and is surrounded by support powder. Subsequent compaction and sintering will consolidate and fuse the part powder to high density and strength while the support material remains in powder form. Advantages of this approach include the ability to use a wide range of materials, print powder in gray scales, mix powders in a controlled fashion, create composition gradients within the part and embed electronics into parts by printing circuits. The educational plan involves developing a design studio and creating new teaching tools and course materials to modernize the curriculum in the areas of computer-integrated design, analysis and SFF manufacturing. The design studio envisioned will consist of a networked computational facility equipped with design and analysis software as well as rapid-prototyping and numerical controlled machining equipment to provide hands-on experience in integrated design and rapid manufacturing.