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Technical University of Munich

Additive Manufacturing

Description
This topic field focuses on the development of additive manufacturing technologies for the production of fiber reinforced component, as well as the required tools. Special emphasis is placed on resource efficient production of complex geometries, the shortening of development and manufacturing cycle times, and unlocking new design and lightweighting potential. 

A key focus is here is Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Large-Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) as enablers for tool production. Specific research projects analyze material and process characteristics, prediction of thermal behavior, gas tightness, post processing, as well as functional integration. Another focus is the direct manufacturing of fiber reinforced components utilizing Continuous FFF. Therefore, further development of printer hardware, load path optimized design, slicing, sensor integration, and in-situ process monitoring and digital twins, are researched. 

The combination of innovative Additive Manufacturing, simulation based processing, and new material concepts enables economic and flexible solutions for the manufacturing of prototypes and components with small series. 

Key Areas and Objectives

  • Development of additively manufactured tools for the production of fiber reinforced components
  • Investigation of the integration of continuous fibers in Additive Manufacturing processes
  • Development of load-path oriented and sensor-/function-integrated composite structures
  • Establishment of material and process understanding for FFF, LFAM and hybrid manufacturing processes
  • Improvement of dimensional accuracy, surface quality and gas tightness of additively manufactured tools
  • Analysis, prediction and compensation of thermal distortion and process fluctuations
  • Enabling cost-efficient manufacturing of prototypes, tooling and small-batch series
  • Establishing of digital process chains from design and manufacturing through quality assurance
  • Systematic acquisition and evaluation of material, process and application data
  • Build-up of an internal knowledge base on additive manufacturing in the composite field 

Topic Lead
Julian Lachner, M.Sc.; Maximilian Schäffler, M.Sc.

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