Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MADECOLD (Multi Material Additive Manufacturing with Electrostatic Cold Spray)
Período documentado: 2024-06-01 hasta 2025-05-31
While additive manufacturing (AM) is deemed the future of industrial production for its exceptional freedom in design, several technical limits hinder its full exploitation. Surprisingly, the most diffused AM techniques (e.g. LPBF) are associated with almost 4 times higher energy consumption compared to conventional manufacturing processes, while being also more limited in build rate, build size, material selection and surface quality. We need to re-invent AM to tackle these challenges and expand its market to uncharted areas. In MadeCold we will achieve a real breakthrough in this direction by merging solid state and electrostatic physics,
control and monitoring, and mechanical design with material science to develop a disruptive solid state deposition process. The revolutionary principle of MadeCold is to charge and accelerate metal powders to supersonic velocities in a customized electric field and take benefit from the kinetic energy to induce bonding upon impact with a substrate; this has not been done before. Relying on our preliminary results, we will implement multiscale computational models and advanced experiments to develop a single launcher to prove bonding efficiency. Then via a new control system, we will pair multiple launchers to exhibit the capacity of MadeCold for covering simultaneously a theoretically unlimited surface, compared to the point-wise print of the current AM. We will demonstrate that it outperforms the existing technologies regarding the accuracy, deposition rate, flexibility and scalability and paves the way to depositing functional multi-material structures with unprecedented properties. We intend to prove this in 3 key sectors: aerospace, energy and hybrid manufacturing with specific proofs of concept. We are confident to achieve the overall objectives via a sophisticated multi-disciplinary approach based on scientific investigations, and the exploitation of discoveries to establish Europe as a leader in advanced manufacturing.
control and monitoring, and mechanical design with material science to develop a disruptive solid state deposition process. The revolutionary principle of MadeCold is to charge and accelerate metal powders to supersonic velocities in a customized electric field and take benefit from the kinetic energy to induce bonding upon impact with a substrate; this has not been done before. Relying on our preliminary results, we will implement multiscale computational models and advanced experiments to develop a single launcher to prove bonding efficiency. Then via a new control system, we will pair multiple launchers to exhibit the capacity of MadeCold for covering simultaneously a theoretically unlimited surface, compared to the point-wise print of the current AM. We will demonstrate that it outperforms the existing technologies regarding the accuracy, deposition rate, flexibility and scalability and paves the way to depositing functional multi-material structures with unprecedented properties. We intend to prove this in 3 key sectors: aerospace, energy and hybrid manufacturing with specific proofs of concept. We are confident to achieve the overall objectives via a sophisticated multi-disciplinary approach based on scientific investigations, and the exploitation of discoveries to establish Europe as a leader in advanced manufacturing.
The work performed inthe 1st reporting period mainly deals with the simulation of the physical phenomenon of interest, the electrostatic charging and accelertion of microscopical metal powder (size range: around 10-60um) and the first set of eperiments to check the possibility to accelerate the powder up to the linear speed needed to get the adhesion of the powder.
As regards the first point, commercial codes were used to determine the electrostatic field parameters needed for particle acceleration. Also the condition of motion through the microchannels has been investigated to assess possible zide effect to be considered later fo rht eproject of the single and multiple channels device.
The experimental tests were done at Stuttgart University and were dedicated to determine the range of speed that can be achieved with the existing devices. This step is needed for the design of the new device.
As regards the first point, commercial codes were used to determine the electrostatic field parameters needed for particle acceleration. Also the condition of motion through the microchannels has been investigated to assess possible zide effect to be considered later fo rht eproject of the single and multiple channels device.
The experimental tests were done at Stuttgart University and were dedicated to determine the range of speed that can be achieved with the existing devices. This step is needed for the design of the new device.
The results obtained so far are just partial and cannot be considered as a step beyond the state of the art. However they are propedeutic for obtaning the expected disruptive result of the project, aimed to develop a new way to additive manufacturing, able to concentrate all the advantages of the several AM processes in one, without any major weakness with respect of the other processes.