AMSURFIN - Additive Manufacturing SURface FINishing - An automated intelligent solution for polymer parts

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Our vision is to create an automated intelligent post processing machine, capable of finishingadditively manufactured thermoplastic polymer parts to an injection moulded level surface finish.Current finishing methods are labour intensive, costly and time consuming. Accounting for between 5-60% _\[Innovate UK funded FACTUM project\]_ of the cost depending on part complexity, size andvolume. This machine will address the pressing challenge in additive manufacturing of post processsurface finishing, particularly at high production volumes.The project team's objectives are to:1. Create a saleable automated post processing machine capable of generating a repeatable andreproducible surface finish equivalent to that achieved in injection moulding for additivelymanufactured parts.2. Develop intelligent algorithms that control the amount of post processing for a given material andgeometric design.3. Develop a machine that is integrated into the digital manufacturing chain.The project is focused on:Automated and predictable surface finishing for thermoplastic polymer parts.Significant quality improvement of the finished part.Reducing costs through the elimination of manual surface finishing.Significantly improving part turnaround time.Innovation lies at the heart of the machine through:Use of proprietary process, discovered by the University of Sheffield, that smooths the surface ofparts using solvents.Use of automated process feedback to control the level of finishing applied.Use of algorithms to manage different materials and geometric designs thereby creating an intelligentmachine architecture.