Solid freeform fabrication technology has shown a great deal of promise for the plastic injection molding industry due to its ability to produce complex geometry tooling relatively quickly. However, one shortcoming of metal-based SFF processes is that they have difficulty producing parts with acceptable surface quality. As such, secondary operations, such as machining, are frequently required thereby increasing fabrication time and cost. In addition, there is variation in the surface quality that is dependent upon the surface orientation during the build process. For example, parts produced using the metal-based 3-D printing process have vertical faces with a typical roughness 52% greater than the horizontal faces. This work investigates the effects on part surface quality resulting from the application of a contact surface "blank" to the part free surfaces during the infiltration stage of a powder metalbased rapid manufacturing process. Specifically, the effects of "blank" surface roughness and contact pressure are studied with respect to resultant surface roughness and uniformity of the infiltrated part. Application of a smooth contact surface on vertical faces resulted in Ra values at least 25% lower than that of vertical free surfaces. It was also revealed that there is a correlation between surface roughness of the blank and the surface roughness of the infiltrated part. Such blanks could be used to impart desired surface finish and texture to critical surfaces of a mold tool.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2006 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and
Exposition
November 5–10, 2006
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Manufacturing Engineering Division and Textile Engineering Division
ISBN:
0-7918-4774-8
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Improving Surface Finish Quality of Rapid Tooling via Surface Contact Infiltration of 3-D Printed Metal Parts
David C. Angstadt
David C. Angstadt
Clemson University
Search for other works by this author on:
Brady B. Godbey
Clemson University
David C. Angstadt
Clemson University
Paper No:
IMECE2006-14601, pp. 73-77; 5 pages
Published Online:
December 14, 2007
Citation
Godbey, BB, & Angstadt, DC. "Improving Surface Finish Quality of Rapid Tooling via Surface Contact Infiltration of 3-D Printed Metal Parts." Proceedings of the ASME 2006 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Manufacturing Engineering and Textile Engineering. Chicago, Illinois, USA. November 5–10, 2006. pp. 73-77. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2006-14601
Download citation file:
10
Views
0
Citations
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Experimental Study of Demolding Properties on Stereolithography Tooling
J. Manuf. Sci. Eng (August,2007)
RP Industry’s Growing Pains
Mechanical Engineering (July,1998)
Understanding Process Parameter Effects of RepRap Open-Source Three-Dimensional Printers Through a Design of Experiments Approach
J. Manuf. Sci. Eng (February,2015)
Related Chapters
Computer Aided Design of Tools, Dies, and Moulds (TDMs)
Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing
Novel and Efficient Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Analysis and Architecting of Ultralight Cellular Materials and their Macrostructural Responses
Advances in Computers and Information in Engineering Research, Volume 2
Getting Ready for Production
Total Quality Development: A Step by Step Guide to World Class Concurrent Engineering