SBIR Phase I: Increasing Maker Manufacturing through 3D Printing with Reclaimed Plastic & Direct Drive Pellet Extrusion

SBIR 第一阶段项目将评估直接使用当地材料的能力，例如塑料可回收材料作为经济实惠的工业 3D 打印的消耗品输入。该技术的开发旨在扩展到多个 3D 打印机平台。项目完成后，硬件将作为新型 3D 打印机平台以及其他 3D 打印机和 3D 运动系统的模块化附件进行商业销售。为了扩大研究的影响，所有原型制作都将记录在一系列每月视频中，供教育工作者、STEM 组织和美国制造商见证硬件设计过程的实际应用。此外，研讨会将每季度举行一次，展示迄今为止的进展，并邀请学生分享反馈。这项技术有很大机会扩大美国内部制造能力，通过加强工业和教育联系创造新的就业机会，刺激美国驱动的创新并减少对制成品进口的贸易依赖。虽然增材制造的熔丝制造（FFF）方法为现场制造提供了巨大的潜力，但该技术受到挤压原料的限制。具体来说，随着工业增材制造的重点从生产原型转向制造最终用途产品，必须能够在本地采购原材料并通过直接驱动颗粒挤出将其直接引入 3D 打印机。当 3D 打印大型（定义为 6 英寸立方体）功能物体时，这种需求会被放大。生产更大的产量意味着现有 FFF 系统需要投入更多的时间和材料成本，这目前限制了增材制造市场。其次，对挤出热成型塑料的依赖限制了可用的材料库。该项目包括开发用于加工粒状和不均匀再生塑料原料的新型挤出喂料机制。第一阶段的目标包括优化原始和回收的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯 (PET/RPET)、丙烯腈丁二烯苯乙烯 (ABS) 和聚乳酸 (PLA)。该系统的开发将考虑到经济性和用户体验，以便在材料之间轻松切换，并且打印速度比 FFF 方法快 20 倍。项目完成后，硬件将作为完整的 3D 打印系统以及 3D 打印机和 3D 运动平台的附件进行商业销售。

This SBIR Phase I Project will evaluate the ability to directly use local materials, such as plastic recyclables as the consumable input for affordable, industrial 3D printing. This technology will be developed with intent to scale to multiple 3D printer platforms. Hardware will be sold commercially after project completion as a novel 3D printer platform as well as a modular attachment for other 3D printers and 3D motion systems. To broaden the impact of the research, all prototyping will be documented in a series of monthly videos intended for educators, STEM organizations and US makers to witness real-world application of the hardware design process. Additionally, workshops will be held once a quarter where progress to date will be showcased and students will be invited to share feedback. This technology has significant opportunity to expand US in-house manufacturing capability, foster new job creation through enhancing industry and educational ties, stimulate US driven innovation and reduced trade dependence on imports of manufactured products.While the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method of additive manufacturing offers tremendous potential for on-site fabrication, the technology is limited by access to extruded feedstock materials. Specifically, the ability to locally source raw material and introduce it directly into a 3D printer via direct drive pellet extrusion is necessary as the focus of industrial additive manufacturing shifts from producing prototypes to manufacturing end-use products. This need is amplified when 3D printing large-scale (defined as 6 inches cubed) functional objects. Producing larger outputs represents a larger investment of time and material costs with existing FFF systems, which currently constrains the additive manufacturing market. Secondly, a dependence on extruded thermoform plastics limits the available library of materials. This project includes development of novel extrusion feed mechanisms for processing pelletized and non-uniform reclaimed plastic feedstock. Phase I goals include optimization for virgin and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET/RPET), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and Polylactic Acid (PLA). This system will be developed for affordability and user experience to allow for easy switching between materials and print speeds 20X faster than FFF methods. Hardware will be sold commercially after project completion as a complete 3D printing system as well as an attachment for 3D printers and 3D motion platforms.