SBIR Phase I: Three Dimentional (3D) Printing With Embedded, Layer-Crossing, Continuous Carbon Filament Reinforcement

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是增加三维(3D)打印聚合物对象的全面强度，这将使此类对象更适用于结构应力较大的原型和制造产品(包括原型和物理上较大的产品)。预计通过在3D打印机主体内多方向嵌入连续碳纤维长丝，可以获得预期的强度收益。设计师和工程师寻求量身定做内部碳纤维排列，以适应他们的特定需求。所得到的碳纤维增强物体(与一般的3D打印物体一样)可以在不使用昂贵和/或耗时的模具、工具或专业手工的情况下生产。通过促进经济高效地生产坚固、基于塑料的定制和小批量制造产品，该项目寻求加快产品开发、培养企业家精神，并通过更容易地将想象的概念转化为物理世界中强大的功能对象来鼓励在美国境内的制造努力。该SBIR第一阶段项目寻求开发一种在熔融沉积建模(FDM)3D打印机的主体中嵌入连续的、跨层的碳纤维细丝的工艺，以便沿着与3D打印层垂直的平面提供拉伸和剪切增强。研究的目标是采用与3D打印层垂直的准平行细丝，减少层间薄弱和由此产生的fdm打印的结构各向异性特征。该项目将进一步研究使用更复杂的长丝布置，以在产品设计师指定的方向和路径上提供选择性增强。将评估其整体强度、硬度和韧性，并将其与传统制造的工程塑料进行比较。嵌入过程将与打印的逐层创建同时进行，将通过将FDM打印机喷嘴的动作与自动化机器人细丝操纵器的动作相结合来实现。该项目将检查包含增强纤维的印刷部件和部件的几何范围，最初的目标是打印沿着多个轴连续弯曲的增强壳状物体。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to increase the all-around strength of three dimentional (3D)-printed polymer objects, which will make such objects more useful for structurally-stressed prototypes and manufactured products (including prototypes and products that are physically large). The prposed strength gains are expected from embedding continuous carbon-fiber filaments in multiple directions within the body of a 3D-print. Designers and engineers seek to tailor internal carbon-fiber arrangements to suit their specific needs. The resulting carbon-fiber-reinforced objects (as with 3D-printed objects in general) may be produced without the expensive and/or time-consuming use of molds, tooling, or specialized hand-labor. By facilitating the cost-effective production of strong, plastics-based custom and low-volume manufactured products, this project seeks accelerate product development, foster entrepreneurship, and encourage manufacturing endeavors within the United States by making it easier to turn imagined concepts into strong, functional objects in the physical world.This SBIR Phase I project seeks to develop a process for embedding continuous, layer-crossing, carbon-fiber filaments within the body of a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D print in order to provide tensile and shear reinforcement along planes orthogonal to the 3D printed layer. The goal of the research is to employ quasi-parallel filaments oriented orthogonal to 3D print layers, reducing the interlayer weakness and resultant structural anisotropy characteristic of FDM prints. The project will further examine the use of more complex filament arrangements to provide selective reinforcement in directions and along paths specified by a product designer. The overall strength, stiffness, and toughness will be assessed adn compared to conventionally-manufactured engineering plastics. The embedding process, which will take place simultaneously with the layer-by-layer creation of the print, will be achieved by combining the actions of FDM printer nozzles with those of automated robotic filament manipulators. The project will examine the geometric range of printed parts and components that incorporate reinforcing filaments, with initial goal of printing reinforced shell-like objects that continuously curve along multiple axes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.