Digital assembly and direct fabrication of

mechanism based on selective laser

melting
Author(s):
Xubin Su (School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China
University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)

...Show all authors

Abstract:
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to obtain more design freedom and realize fast
fabrication of mechanism which is the core subsystem of many machines and
always consists of several parts with assigned relative motion.

Design/methodology/approach
– The mechanism is digitally assembled and later directly fabricated by selective
laser melting (SLM) without post‐assembly. The joint is re‐designed to facilitate
powdered material removal; the displays and the corresponding support additions
are discussed to avoid too many supports within the clearances. Then, a series of
universal joint are directly fabricated using SLM machine and a minimum
clearance of 0.1 mm is obtained; a crank rocker mechanism is also fabricated and
it can achieve the required performances.

Findings
– The digitally assembled mechanism can be successfully fabricated by SLM
technique using metal powdered material.

Originality/value
– It is well known that the components fabricated by SLM have good mechanical
properties. Therefore, it can be expected that more mechanisms with more design
freedom will be developed and be used in some practical fields with improvement
of fabrication quality.

Keywords:
Assembly, Advanced manufacturing technologies, Design, Mechanism, Direct
fabrication, Selective laser melting, Digital assembly

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2013
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Citation:
Xubin Su, Yongqiang Yang, Di Wang, Yonghua Chen, (2013) "Digital assembly
and direct fabrication of mechanism based on selective laser melting", Rapid
Prototyping Journal, Vol. 19 Issue: 3, pp.166-
172, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552541311312157

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Digital material fabrication using

mask‐image‐projection‐based
stereolithography
Author(s):
Chi Zhou (Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA)

...Show all authors

Abstract:
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a mask‐image‐projection‐based
stereolithography (MIP‐SL) process that can combine two base materials with
various concentrations and structures to produce a solid object with desired
material characteristics. Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process in
which liquid photopolymer resin is cross‐linked and converted to solid. The
fabrication of digital material requires frequent resin changes during the building
process. The process presented in this paper attempts to address the related
challenges in achieving such fabrication capability.

Design/methodology/approach
– A two‐channel system design is presented for the multi‐material MIP‐SL
process. In such a design, a coated thick film and linear motions in two axes are
used to reduce the separation force of a cured layer. The material cleaning
approach to thoroughly remove resin residue on built surfaces is presented for the
developed process. Based on a developed testbed, experimental studies were
conducted to verify the effectiveness of the presented process on digital material
fabrication.

Findings
– The proposed two‐channel system can reduce the separation force of a cured
layer by an order of magnitude in the bottom‐up projection system. The developed
two‐stage cleaning approach can effectively remove resin residue on built
surfaces. Several multi‐material designs have been fabricated to highlight the
capability of the developed MIP‐SL process.

Research limitations/implications
– A proof‐of‐concept testbed has been developed. Its building speed and
accuracy can be further improved. The tests were limited to the same type of
liquid resins. In addition, the removal of trapped air is a challenge in the
presented process.
 Originality/value
– This paper presents a novel and a pioneering approach towards digital material
fabrication based on the stereolithography process. This research contributes to
the additive manufacturing development by significantly expanding the selection
of base materials in fabricating solid objects with desired material characteristics.

Keywords:
Advanced manufacturing technologies, Polymers, Resins, Additive
manufacturing, Multi‐material fabrication, Stereolithography, Digital material

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2013
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Citation:
Chi Zhou, Yong Chen, Zhigang Yang, Behrokh Khoshnevis, (2013) "Digital
material fabrication using mask‐image‐projection‐based stereolithography", Rapid
Prototyping Journal, Vol. 19 Issue: 3, pp.153-
165, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552541311312148

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Comparison of different post processing

technologies for SLM generated 316l
steel parts
Author(s):
Lukas Löber (Institute for Materials Science, University of Technology, Dresden,
Germany)

...Show all authors

Acknowledgements:
The authors thank Dr Klemm and Dr Hoffmann for the stimulating discussions
about this work. This work has been supported by the European Union and the
Free State of Saxonia in the framework of the European Centre for Emerging
Materials and Processes, International Graduate School (ECEMP IGS), contract
no. 13795/2379.

Abstract:
Purpose
 – The purpose of this paper is to compare different post processing techniques for
improving the high surface roughness (SR) characteristic of parts generated by
selected laser melting (SLM).

Design/methodology/approach
– Test parts were built by SLM and their surface was characterized via SEM and
optical measurements. The surface of the as‐generated parts was then modified
by grinding, sand blasting and electrolytic and plasma polishing to reduce the SR.

Findings
– The change of the SR after the different surface treatments was quantified and
compared. The effectiveness and usability of the post processing techniques and
their combinations were determined. The results indicate that some of the post
processes are only usable for simple structures.

Research limitations/implications
– The amount of abrasion induced by the different surface treatments was not
quantified. A major focus of future work should deal with this issue.

Practical implications
– The surface quality of parts with simple geometry can be enhanced by simple
methods such as grinding. Complex parts need more advanced techniques, such
as electrolytic polishing.

Originality/value
– The effect of different post processing techniques for improving the surface
roughness of SLM‐generated parts has been analyzed for the first time. This
paper can help to improve the SR of parts produced by SLM.

Keywords:
Surface properties of materials, Steel, Surface roughness
measurement, Selective laser melting

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2013
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Citation:
Lukas Löber, Christoph Flache, Romy Petters, Uta Kühn, Jürgen Eckert, (2013)
"Comparison of different post processing technologies for SLM generated 316l
steel parts", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 19 Issue: 3, pp.173-
179, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552541311312166

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1. The investigation of the influence of laser re‐melting on density, surface quality and microstructure
of selective laser melting parts
 Evren Yasa et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2013

2. Accuracy and density optimization in directly fabricating customized orthodontic production by

selective laser melting

Yongqiang Yang et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2013

3. Selective laser melting of biocompatible metals for rapid manufacturing of medical parts

Ben Vandenbroucke et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2013

4. Influence of the particle size distribution on surface quality and mechanical properties in AM steel
parts

A.B. Spierings et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2013

5. Effect of preheat and layer thickness on selective laser melting (SLM) of magnesium

Monica Mahesh Savalani et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2016

1. Electrons dynamics control by shaping femtosecond laser pulses in micro/nanofabrication:

modeling, method, measurement and application

Lan Jiang et al., Light: Science & Applications, 2018

2. Plasmonic nano-printing: large-area nanoscale energy deposition for efficient surface texturing

Lei Wang et al., Light: Science & Applications, 2017

3. Design and Fabrication of Metal Microcup Mould for E-Paper

PU Dong-lin1 et al., Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystals and Displays

4. Ablative Laser Resurfacing - Postoperative Care

R.S. Batra et al., Medscape

5. Investigation on the laser ablation of SiC ceramics using micro-Raman mapping technique

Chaoli FU et al., Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2016

Development of CNTs-filled photopolymer

for projection stereolithography
Author(s):
Hengky Eng , (Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology,
Singapore, Singapore)

...Show all authors

Single Sentence Summary:

The development of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-filled photopolymer for projection
stereolithography reveals that with the addition of 0.25 wt.% CNTs into the
 photopolymer, tensile stress and elongation of the 3D printed parts increase by 70
and 46 per cent, respectively.

Abstract:
Purpose
Polymeric parts produced by 3D stereolithography (SL) process have poorer
mechanical properties as compared to their counterparts fabricated via
conventional methods, such as injection or compression molding. Adding
nanofillers in the photopolymer resin for SL could help improve mechanical
properties. This study aims to achieve enhancement in mechanical properties of
parts fabricated by SL, for functional applications, by using well-dispersed
nanofillers in the photopolymers, together with suitable post-processing.

Design/methodology/approach
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have high strength and Young’s modulus, making
them attractive nanofillers. However, dispersion of CNTs in photopolymer is a
critical challenge, as they tend to agglomerate easily. Achieving good dispersion
is crucial to improve the mechanical properties; thus, suitable dispersion
mechanisms and processes are examined. Solvent exchange process was found
to improve the dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the photopolymer.
The UV-absorbing nature of CNTs was also discovered to affect the curing
properties. With suitable post processing, coupled with thermal curing, the
mechanical properties of SL parts made from CNTs-filled resin improved
significantly.

Findings
With the addition of 0.25 wt.% CNTs into the photopolymer, tensile stress and
elongation of the 3D printed parts increased by 70 and 46 per cent, respectively.
With the significant improvement, the achieved tensile strength is comparable to
parts manufactured by conventional methods.

Practical implications
This allows functional parts to be manufactured using SL.

Originality/value
In this paper, an improved procedure to incorporate CNTs into the photopolymer
was developed. Furthermore, because of strong UV-absorption nature of CNTs,
curing properties of photopolymer and SL parts with and without CNT fillers were
studied. Optimized curing parameters were determined and additional post-
processing step for thermal curing was discovered as an essential step in order to
further enhance the mechanical properties of SL composite parts.

Keywords:
Resins, Composites, Mechanical properties, Stereolithography, UV, Thermal post-
cure

Type:
Research Paper

Publisher:
Emerald Publishing Limited

Received:
21 October 2015

Revised:
 18 January 2016

Accepted:
09 March 2016

Copyright:
© Emerald Publishing Limited 2017
Published by Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only

Citation:
Hengky Eng, Saeed Maleksaeedi, Suzhu Yu, Yu Ying Clarrisa Choong, Florencia
Edith Wiria, Ruihua Eugene Kheng, Jun Wei, Pei-Chen Su, Huijun Phoebe Tham,
(2017) "Development of CNTs-filled photopolymer for projection
stereolithography", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 23 Issue: 1, pp.129-
136, https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-10-2015-0148

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Abrasive flow finishing of

stereolithography prototypes
Author(s):
Robert E. Williams (Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and
Management Systems Engineering and the Center for Nontraditional
Manufacturing Research at the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln, Nebraska, USA)

...Show all authors

Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to thank the National Science Foundation (Faculty
CAREER Grant No. DMI‐9701941) and Extrude Hone Corporation for their
support of this research. This material is also based on work supported by, or in
part by, the US Army Research Office under contract/grant number
DAAH04‐94‐G‐0339. 3D Systems deserves recognition for providing the SL5180
prototypes. Finally, the authors recognize the help of Eric Clark in preparing this
manuscript.

Abstract:
This research investigated the use of two relatively new technologies, abrasive
flow machining (AFM) and stereolithography (SL), to minimize the time to develop
a finished prototype. Statistical analysis was used to determine effects of media
grit size, media pressure, build style, build orientation and resin type on flatness,
material removal rate and surface roughness. Results indicated that media
pressure, grit size, and build orientation were significant in at least one of the
experiments performed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the
stair‐stepping effect of the SL process before AFM and the removal of the
stair‐stepping after AFM. The SEM images showed a lack of typical AFM flowlines
on the surface and suggested that the workpiece material is removed by brittle
fracture. Data dependent systems analysis techniques were also used to study
the surface roughness profiles.
Keywords:
Machining, Prototyping, Surface finishing

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
MCB UP Ltd

Copyright:
© MCB UP Limited 1998
Published by MCB UP Ltd

Citation:
Robert E. Williams, Vicki L. Melton, (1998) "Abrasive flow finishing of
stereolithography prototypes", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 4 Issue: 2, pp.56-
67, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552549810207279

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Influence of layer thickness on

mechanical properties in
stereolithography
Author(s):
K. Chockalingam (Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, India)

...Show all authors

Acknowledgements:
The authors thank the Management, Principal and the Head of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, for their
co‐operation and encouragement. The authors also thank the Management of M/s
Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bangalore for the permission to carry out
the experiments. The authors also thank the anonymous referees for their
valuable suggestions.

Abstract:
Purpose
– Mechanical properties such as tensile, yield, impact strengths, and development
of residual stresses play an important role intooling applications. The objective of
this paper is to investigate the effect of layer thickness – one of the influential
process parameters in stereolithography (SL) process, on mechanical properties
of SL components.

Design/methodology/approach
– Test specimens are constructed as per the ASTM standards for different layer
thicknesses in SL 5000 machine, using epoxy resin CIBA tool ® SL5530, a high
temperature resistant SL material that is suitable for rapid tooling applications.
 Tensile, yield and impact tests are carried out with suitable equipments. Residual
stress is analysed using hole drill method.

Findings
– The analysis reveals that when the layer thickness is smaller, the strength of
the part is higher.

Research limitations/implications
– Conclusion of this research is drawn based on the analysis of the most widely
used three layer thicknesses of 100, 125 and 150 μm. X‐ray diffraction or
molecular resonance analysis may be useful to understand the reason for the
variation in mechanical properties.

Originality/value
– This experimental study provides the useful information to the SL machine
users in the selection of layer thickness to manufacture rapid tools.

Keywords:
Process efficiency, Mechanical properties of materials

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2006
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Citation:
K. Chockalingam, N. Jawahar, U. Chandrasekhar, (2006) "Influence of layer
thickness on mechanical properties in stereolithography", Rapid Prototyping
Journal, Vol. 12 Issue: 2, pp.106-
113, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552540610652456

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Influence of layer thickness on

mechanical properties in
stereolithography
Author(s):
K. Chockalingam (Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, India)

...Show all authors

Acknowledgements:
The authors thank the Management, Principal and the Head of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, for their
 co‐operation and encouragement. The authors also thank the Management of M/s
Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bangalore for the permission to carry out
the experiments. The authors also thank the anonymous referees for their
valuable suggestions.

Abstract:
Purpose
– Mechanical properties such as tensile, yield, impact strengths, and development
of residual stresses play an important role intooling applications. The objective of
this paper is to investigate the effect of layer thickness – one of the influential
process parameters in stereolithography (SL) process, on mechanical properties
of SL components.

Design/methodology/approach
– Test specimens are constructed as per the ASTM standards for different layer
thicknesses in SL 5000 machine, using epoxy resin CIBA tool ® SL5530, a high
temperature resistant SL material that is suitable for rapid tooling applications.
Tensile, yield and impact tests are carried out with suitable equipments. Residual
stress is analysed using hole drill method.

Findings
– The analysis reveals that when the layer thickness is smaller, the strength of
the part is higher.

Research limitations/implications
– Conclusion of this research is drawn based on the analysis of the most widely
used three layer thicknesses of 100, 125 and 150 μm. X‐ray diffraction or
molecular resonance analysis may be useful to understand the reason for the
variation in mechanical properties.

Originality/value
– This experimental study provides the useful information to the SL machine
users in the selection of layer thickness to manufacture rapid tools.

Keywords:
Process efficiency, Mechanical properties of materials

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2006
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Citation:
K. Chockalingam, N. Jawahar, U. Chandrasekhar, (2006) "Influence of layer
thickness on mechanical properties in stereolithography", Rapid Prototyping
Journal, Vol. 12 Issue: 2, pp.106-
113, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552540610652456

Downloads:
 The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2731 times since 2013

Modeling effects of oxygen inhibition in

mask‐based stereolithography
Author(s):
Amit S. Jariwala (George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Fei Ding (George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia

Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Aparna Boddapati (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia

Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Victor Breedveld (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia

Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Martha A. Grover (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia

Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Clifford L. Henderson (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

David W. Rosen (George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

Abstract:
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a model that can be used to simulate the
photopolymerization process in micro‐stereolithography (SL) in order to predict
the shape of the cured parts. SL is an additive manufacturing process in which
liquid photopolymer resin is cross‐linked and converted to solid with a UV laser
light source. Traditional models of SL processes do not consider the complex
chemical reactions and species transport occurring during photopolymerization
and, hence, are incapable of accurately predicting resin curing behavior. The
model presented in this paper attempts to bridge this knowledge gap.

Design/methodology/approach
– The chemical reactions involved in the photopolymerization of acrylate‐based
monomers were modeled as ordinary differential equations (ODE). This model
incorporated the effect of oxygen inhibition and diffusion on the polymerization
reaction. The model was simulated in COMSOL and verified with experiments
conducted on a mask‐based micro‐SL system. Parametric studies were
conducted to investigate the possibilities to improve the accuracy of the model for
predicting the edge curvature.

Findings
– The proposed model predicts well the effect of oxygen inhibition and diffusion
on photopolymerization, and the model accurately predicts the cured part height
when compared to experiments conducted on a mask‐based SL system. The
simulated results also show the characteristic edge curvature as seen in
experiments.
 Research limitations/implications
– A triacrylate monomer was used in the experiments conducted, so results may
be limited to acrylate monomers. Shrinkage was not considered when comparing
cured part shapes to those predicted using COMSOL.

Originality/value
– This paper presents a unique and a pioneering approach towards modeling of
the photopolymerization reaction in micro‐SL process. This research furthers the
development of patent pending film micro‐SL process which can be used for
fabrication of custom micro‐optical components.

Keywords:
Polymerization, Modelling, Oxygen, Chemical kinetics

Type:
Research paper

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright:
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2011
Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Citation:
Amit S. Jariwala, Fei Ding, Aparna Boddapati, Victor Breedveld, Martha A.
Grover, Clifford L. Henderson, David W. Rosen, (2011) "Modeling effects of
oxygen inhibition in mask‐based stereolithography", Rapid Prototyping Journal,
Vol. 17 Issue: 3, pp.168-175, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552541111124734

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