Description du projet
De l’impression 3D à la fabrication additive
Le potentiel de l’impression 3D, en particulier de l’impression 3D plastique, est immense et suscite un intérêt croissant pour plusieurs secteurs et domaines d’activités. Toutefois, malgré ce champ illimité des possibles, les produits d’impression 3D plastique actuels ont des surfaces rugueuses et inégales, mates et salissantes, et sont un foyer de prolifération bactérienne, ce qui les rend peu attrayantes. Le projet Powerfuse S 4 AM, financé par l’UE, veut surmonter ces problèmes en développant et en introduisant VaporFuse Surfacing. Ce processus physico-chimique respectueux de l’environnement lisse la surface. Il permet également d’obtenir des surfaces hydrofuges, étanches à l’air et brillantes, qui peuvent être nettoyées pour des utilisations dans des applications alimentaires ou médicales, et qui permettent à l’impression 3D de passer à la fabrication additive.
Objectif
Today, plastic 3D-printing cannot fully exploit its potential. The surface qualities do not meet the requirements of the
products. Rough surfaces, obtained on as-printed parts, are matt, susceptible to dirt, a breeding ground for germs and do not
exhibit an appealing appearance. This is where the Powerfuse S comes in. It enables a scalable surface smoothing of 3Dprinted
polymer parts by a stable, reproducible and environmentally friendly physio-chemical process, the so-called
VaporFuse Surfacing (VFS). Apart from optical advantages, the VFS treated parts offer smooth, water-repellent and glossy
surfaces. The parts have wipeable surfaces for food and medical applications, increased mechanical properties and scratch
resistance and assure water- and airtightness for carrying fluids or gases. VFS can substitute the extensive preparation for
subsequent spray coating and delivers powder residue-free parts for clean room applications. VFS challenges traditional
injection molding for the first time and enables 3D-printing to finally become Additive Manufacturing. Within this project, the
Powerfuse S is to be further developed into a large-scale, industry 4.0-ready sustainable system. The smoothing processes
are optimized and developed for other industry-relevant polymers. Parallel to the technical side, all legal, sales and
operational foundations are being laid to get this pioneering product to market. Automated post-processing of AM
parts is inevitable to fully exploit all advantages of AM like mass customization of complex products with reduced costs and
production times as well as a decrease of waste and scrap. It opens unprecedented
possibilities for the production of tomorrow and has the potential to disrupt whole industries. Especially the enablement of
on-site production and reducing complexity of global supply chains as well as enabling weight reduction in the aerospace industry through complex product design is a key enabler in saving energy and GHG emissions.
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinateur
82152 Planegg-Munich
Allemagne
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.