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

该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负担得起的工业3D打印的消耗品投入。这项技术的开发意图是扩展到多个3D打印机平台。硬件将在项目完成后作为新型3D打印机平台以及用于其他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，所有的原型都将被记录在一系列月度视频中，供教育工作者、STEM组织和美国制造商见证硬件设计过程的真实应用。此外，每季度将举办一次研讨会，展示迄今的进展，并邀请学生分享反馈。这项技术有很大的机会扩大美国内部的制造能力，通过加强产业和教育联系创造新的就业机会，刺激美国驱动的创新和减少对制成品进口的贸易依赖。虽然熔丝制造(FFF)方法的添加剂制造提供了巨大的现场制造潜力，但该技术受到挤压原料材料的限制。具体地说，随着工业添加剂制造的重点从生产原型转向制造最终产品，能够在本地采购原材料并通过直接驱动颗粒挤压将其直接引入3D打印机是必要的。当3D打印大型(定义为6英寸立方体)功能对象时，这种需求被放大。生产更大的产量意味着使用现有的FFF系统需要更大的时间和材料成本投资，这目前制约了添加剂制造市场。其次，对挤出热塑性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造粒和非均匀再生塑料原料的新型挤出进料机构。第一阶段的目标包括优化原料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可负担性和用户体验，以允许在材料和打印速度之间的轻松切换，速度比FFF方法快20倍。硬件将在项目完成后作为完整的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.