Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RE-MAKE (REFURBISHMENT AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING ACCOMPLISHED BY KINETIC DEPOSITION)
Período documentado: 2023-10-01 hasta 2025-09-30
Ambitious goals of the European Green Deal call for new sustainable and material-efficient manufacturing technologies that can reduce energy and raw material consumption; this objective can be upheld by extending the product life via optimized production methods, recovering product performance through refurbishing, and even improving its functions beyond design by remanufacturing. These are the overarching objectives of RE-MAKE that considers cold spray (CS), a solid-state metal powder deposition technique, as the key for a new route to additive manufacturing (AM), repair and remanufacturing. Thanks to its exceptional deposition efficiency, high build-up rate, limited energy consumption, and flexibility of material choice, CS is an ideal candidate for the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. However, currently, there are multiple scientific and industrial gaps, paired with poor awareness about CS’s potential due to the lack of qualified engineers and scientists, that impede the full exploitation of CS. RE-MAKE is planned to establish CS as a unique sustainable and scalable tool for AM, remanufacturing and upcycling, paving the path to a green and efficient sustainable industrial development. This ambitious goal will be achieved by training highly qualified doctoral candidates (DCs) through advanced transversal and inter-sectoral training. The wide-ranging hard and soft skills the DCs will gain enable them to embark on tackling scientific and technological challenges with a practical perspective.
The Re-Make project coordinated by Politecnico di Milano aims to implement, monitor, and characterize a bespoke sustainable high-performance repair and Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology based on solid state deposition. The project seeks to achieve exceptional functional products through a multi-faceted approach that combines multi-scale computational modelling with advanced experimental, analytical techniques, and data-driven approaches.
The 1st year of RE-MAKE, from 01/10/2023 to 30/09/2024, was dedicated to the the website of the project (www.remake.eu) and to the definition of the calls for recruit the DCs, to the launch of the call and finally to the choice of the eleven Doctoral Candidates for the open positions.
While the website development was straight and no specific problem is worth of being mentioned, some problem was found in finding adequate applicants, aligned with the requirements of the calls and with an adequate background for the offered positions. However, finally the right applicants were selected on time. At the date of the end of the first year, still some problem remained due to the need of getting the visa from the country of the applicant to the destination. However, all the DCs started working at latest on November 15, 2024.
As regards the secondment plan the Associate Partner TWI (UK) decided not to sign the Consortium Agreement, but this is not causing any remarkable change in the work plan of the project.
In the second year (01/10/2024-30/09/2025) the training and the scientific activity of the DCs started and is proceeding. The work performed by the DCs in the respective WP are described in the next pages.
The 1st year of RE-MAKE, from 01/10/2023 to 30/09/2024, was dedicated to the the website of the project (www.remake.eu) and to the definition of the calls for recruit the DCs, to the launch of the call and finally to the choice of the eleven Doctoral Candidates for the open positions.
While the website development was straight and no specific problem is worth of being mentioned, some problem was found in finding adequate applicants, aligned with the requirements of the calls and with an adequate background for the offered positions. However, finally the right applicants were selected on time. At the date of the end of the first year, still some problem remained due to the need of getting the visa from the country of the applicant to the destination. However, all the DCs started working at latest on November 15, 2024.
As regards the secondment plan the Associate Partner TWI (UK) decided not to sign the Consortium Agreement, but this is not causing any remarkable change in the work plan of the project.
In the second year (01/10/2024-30/09/2025) the training and the scientific activity of the DCs started and is proceeding. The work performed by the DCs in the respective WP are described in the next pages.
The results obtained during the first reporting period remain limited, as the DCs’ activities began at M13. Nevertheless, significant advancements beyond the current state of the art have already been achieved across the three technical/scientific Work Packages (WPs).
WP2: Knowledge-Based Customization of CS Deposits (Microstructural and Mechanical Aspects)
DC11-UoN: Focused on customized feedstock powders, particularly powder pre-treatment for cold spray applications. Work has centered on defining a new interlacing strategy to exploit the characteristics of Al alloy powders. Two powders (Al2024 and AlSi7Mg) have been selected and will undergo heat treatment to optimize cold spray repair performance in aeronautics.
DC2-TCD: Developed an advanced experimental setup for in-depth analysis of particle–substrate interactions to investigate cold spray adhesion mechanisms. Experimental tests are ongoing, with partial results under varying atmospheres and process pressures already discussed.
DC3-URJC: Conducted a detailed study on the relationship between particle velocity and process parameters using advanced experimental tools, achieving strong agreement with numerical simulations.
DC4-IPP: Investigating fatigue crack propagation in cold-sprayed free-standing deposits, obtaining unprecedented insights into the influence of process parameters on Kth and fatigue crack growth rates.
WP3: Real-Time Monitoring, Control, Automation, and Digitalization of the CS Process
DC5-SchuF: Completed preliminary material screening of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with superior erosion, corrosion, and thermal resistance for CS deposition. Applied these concepts to industrial valve components, performing structural analysis to identify high-risk erosion zones. Proposed an improved check valve design integrating CS coatings for disc surface protection.
DC6-TAU: Addressing challenges in achieving geometric accuracy and consistent coating quality. Developing a fully automated CS system with real-time, in-situ monitoring and closed-loop control. The system integrates laser profilometry and imaging to measure deposit profiles and particle properties, enabling dynamic robot motion adjustments during spraying.
DC7-UB: Delivered the first version of a digital twin of the CS process, featuring ABB IRB 2400/16 and PlasmaGiken PCS 100, modeled in Rhinoceros with export capability to ABB RobotStudio.
DC8-POLIMI: Conducted an extensive survey of 3D scanning technologies and photogrammetry for real-time optical monitoring and shape correction. Initial results demonstrate strong potential for improving CS accuracy and reducing post-processing costs.
WP4: Innovative Applications Beyond Conventional Thermal Energy-Based Technologies
DC09-POLIMI: Exploring CS as an alternative joining technique to welding. Developed a numerical model predicting joint shape with accuracy surpassing current standards.
DC10-POLIMI: Investigating CS for repair in Oil & Gas applications. Proposed a novel approach for applying CS under elastic load conditions to enhance mechanical properties of repairs.
DC1-CNRS: Established a robust interdisciplinary foundation combining thermodynamic modeling, process design, robotic integration, and material characterization. Experimental and simulation work validated alloy compositions and enabled controlled CSAM trials. Positioned to advance toward high-strength, high-conductivity copper-based structures for magnetic applications in Year 2.
WP2: Knowledge-Based Customization of CS Deposits (Microstructural and Mechanical Aspects)
DC11-UoN: Focused on customized feedstock powders, particularly powder pre-treatment for cold spray applications. Work has centered on defining a new interlacing strategy to exploit the characteristics of Al alloy powders. Two powders (Al2024 and AlSi7Mg) have been selected and will undergo heat treatment to optimize cold spray repair performance in aeronautics.
DC2-TCD: Developed an advanced experimental setup for in-depth analysis of particle–substrate interactions to investigate cold spray adhesion mechanisms. Experimental tests are ongoing, with partial results under varying atmospheres and process pressures already discussed.
DC3-URJC: Conducted a detailed study on the relationship between particle velocity and process parameters using advanced experimental tools, achieving strong agreement with numerical simulations.
DC4-IPP: Investigating fatigue crack propagation in cold-sprayed free-standing deposits, obtaining unprecedented insights into the influence of process parameters on Kth and fatigue crack growth rates.
WP3: Real-Time Monitoring, Control, Automation, and Digitalization of the CS Process
DC5-SchuF: Completed preliminary material screening of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with superior erosion, corrosion, and thermal resistance for CS deposition. Applied these concepts to industrial valve components, performing structural analysis to identify high-risk erosion zones. Proposed an improved check valve design integrating CS coatings for disc surface protection.
DC6-TAU: Addressing challenges in achieving geometric accuracy and consistent coating quality. Developing a fully automated CS system with real-time, in-situ monitoring and closed-loop control. The system integrates laser profilometry and imaging to measure deposit profiles and particle properties, enabling dynamic robot motion adjustments during spraying.
DC7-UB: Delivered the first version of a digital twin of the CS process, featuring ABB IRB 2400/16 and PlasmaGiken PCS 100, modeled in Rhinoceros with export capability to ABB RobotStudio.
DC8-POLIMI: Conducted an extensive survey of 3D scanning technologies and photogrammetry for real-time optical monitoring and shape correction. Initial results demonstrate strong potential for improving CS accuracy and reducing post-processing costs.
WP4: Innovative Applications Beyond Conventional Thermal Energy-Based Technologies
DC09-POLIMI: Exploring CS as an alternative joining technique to welding. Developed a numerical model predicting joint shape with accuracy surpassing current standards.
DC10-POLIMI: Investigating CS for repair in Oil & Gas applications. Proposed a novel approach for applying CS under elastic load conditions to enhance mechanical properties of repairs.
DC1-CNRS: Established a robust interdisciplinary foundation combining thermodynamic modeling, process design, robotic integration, and material characterization. Experimental and simulation work validated alloy compositions and enabled controlled CSAM trials. Positioned to advance toward high-strength, high-conductivity copper-based structures for magnetic applications in Year 2.