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

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是增加三维（3D）打印聚合物物体的全面强度，这将使这些物体对结构应力原型和制造产品（包括原型和物理大的产品）更有用。 所提出的强度增益预计来自在3D打印的主体内的多个方向上嵌入连续的碳纤维丝。设计师和工程师寻求量身定制内部碳纤维布置以满足其特定需求。所得到的碳纤维增强物体（通常与3D打印物体一样）可以在不使用昂贵和/或耗时的模具、工具或专门的手工劳动的情况下生产。 通过促进高强度、基于塑料的定制和小批量制造产品的成本效益生产，该项目旨在加速产品开发，培养企业家精神，并通过使想象的概念更容易在物理世界中变成强大的功能对象来鼓励美国境内的制造业努力。在熔融沉积成型（FDM）3D打印的主体内的碳纤维细丝，以便沿与3D打印层正交的沿着平面提供拉伸和剪切增强。该研究的目标是采用与3D打印层正交取向的准平行细丝，减少FDM打印的层间弱点和由此产生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安排，以提供选择性的方向和沿着路径指定的产品设计师加强。 将对整体强度、刚度和韧性进行评估，并与传统制造的工程塑料进行比较。 嵌入过程将与逐层创建打印同时进行，将通过将FDM打印机喷嘴的动作与自动化机器人长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打印零件和组件的几何范围，最初目标是打印沿着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价值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.