Design and Mechanical Characterization of Voronoi Structures Manufactured by Indirect Additive Manufacturing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Manufacturing Processes
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables complex 3D object fabrication but faces challenges like limited materials, thermal stress, poor surface finish, anisotropy, and high costs.
• Existing metal foams have limitations that hinder their widespread application in various industries.
• Optimization of cellular structures is crucial for enhancing the mechanical properties of metal foams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate an indirect additive manufacturing (I-AM) approach for producing metal foams.
• To combine meltable resins with metal casting for fabricating complex metal foam structures.
• To design and optimize the cellular structure of metal foams using graphical editor Grasshopper®.

Main Methods:

• Developed an indirect additive manufacturing (I-AM) process utilizing meltable resins and metal casting.
• Designed and optimized the cellular structure of open-cell metal foams using the Grasshopper® graphical editor.
• Produced metal foams via AM and subsequent lost wax casting, followed by compression testing.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated open-cell metal foams using the proposed I-AM process.
• The cellular structure of the produced metal foams was optimized for enhanced properties.
• Compression tests indicated comparable or improved performance relative to commercial metal foams.

Conclusions:

• Indirect additive manufacturing (I-AM) offers a viable alternative for producing metal foams with complex and optimized cellular structures.
• The combination of AM with meltable resins and lost wax casting overcomes some limitations of traditional AM for metal foam production.
• This novel approach holds potential for creating advanced metal foams with tailored properties for diverse applications.