Additive Manufacturing Lab

Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D Printing, creates objects by adding material, typically layer upon layer. This contrasts with traditional subtractive manufacturing processes like milling or cutting, where the material is removed to shape the final product. AM technologies use a variety of materials, including plastics, metals, ceramics, and composites, to produce both prototypes and end-use parts. AM  is a transformative approach to industrial production that enables the creation of lightweight, complex parts.

Key Benefits of Additive Manufacturing:

• Design Flexibility

• Reduced Waste

• Part Consolidation

• Quick Prototyping

• Customization   

The current additive manufacturing lab is equipped with VAT photopolymerization (DLP or UVLCD, and MSLA) and Material Extrusion (Fused Filament Fabrication) technologies with the objective of training students (working professionals) remotely so that every individual is equipped with the practical skills in using 3D printing technologies. This lab also serves as a hub to innovate in product design, performing simulations related to metal AM and quick prototyping with the polymer materials.

EQUIPMENTS AVAILABLE

Hardware Components

    PROJECT DETAILS

Liquid Soap Dispenser

Designing the swingarm of 2-wheeler which is structurally and topologically optimized by considering the part can be manufactured using conventional manufacturing process for mass production. The Part will be used in an Electric 2-wheeler which can accommodate Hub motor and Mid mount motor so the same swing arm can be carried over when we use different drive train.

The current research project focus in the following application areas:

• Topology optimization: Use less material and have less weight.

• Structurally optimization: To withstand the load transferred from wheel and shocks

• DFM: Manufacturability of the part

Learning Outcomes: 

• Analysed the behaviour of a swing arm under various loading conditions to predict performance and durability and applied principles of mechanical engineering to assess the impact of different forces on the swing arm's design.

• Evaluated the advantages and limitations of different manufacturing techniques for producing high-quality components.

• Developed skills in ensuring compatibility and seamless integration with neighbouring components.

• Designed a modern swing arm specifically for electric two-wheelers, replacing the traditional tubular design.

• Applied innovative design techniques to enhance performance, reduce weight, and improve the efficiency of electric vehicles

Heat exchanger in HVAC systems uses the thin fin starting from 0.4 mm to 1.0 mm based on the various capacity and thermal performance. Sheet metal fins are manufactured using Hardened Press tools in traditional methods to make the millions of parts every year. Traditional methods take 8 to 12 weeks with $20 to 50k USD as an initial investment considering the dimensional accuracy and tolerances. Hence, it is always a bottle neck to make the new fin tool and trial/test the samples for the performance testing. Since Changing the existing tool or making new tool needs high investment of time and money with Human efforts. Also, there is always push back from the manufacturing team to not make any changes in the existing tolls used in the production. To overcome the bottle neck, this Theis will help to identify the suitable process to make the quick samples for the testing purpose for R&D team. This will help the engineering team to finalize the design and help to go for the mass production by avoiding the design iterations.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Identified alternative manufacturing methods for sheet metal forming, focusing on the use of additive manufacturing to reduce lead time for new fin designs.

• Evaluated different tooling materials suitable for additive manufacturing, considering factors like durability, strength, and compatibility with sheet metal forming.

• Selected the most appropriate additive manufacturing process based on the chosen tooling material to optimize performance and efficiency.

• Developed and validated an additive-manufactured prototype tool for forming sheet metal fins.

• Conducted physical testing of sheet metal fin samples produced with the prototype tool to assess functionality and accuracy.

This project aims to design and fabricate a cost-effective 3D printed quadcopter drone, focusing on enhancing value, stability, and performance. The scope includes evaluating the current global drone market forecast and affordability factors, designing and developing quadcopter drone parts, printing components using 3D printing technology, sourcing electronic components, and integrating them to create the drone. Additionally, the project involves conducting flight testing and calibration, and refining the design based on experimental data. The goal is to create a reliable, efficient, and adaptable drone solution, while also generating valuable data and insights to guide future researchers and drone manufacturers in making informed design decisions.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Market Analysis and Business Viability has been performed

• Designed and developed critical parts of a quadcopter drone, such as the frame, arms, and legs, focusing on enhancing stability, value, and performance.

• Demonstrated the ability to 3D print drone components, selecting appropriate materials for strength, weight, and durability.

• Identified and integrated the source suitable electronic components for drone construction, including motors, controllers, and sensors.

• Performed calibration and flight testing of the drone to ensure stability, control, and performance.

• Analysed flight test data, troubleshoot errors, and refine drone capabilities for optimal flight performance.

Training of medical students and professionals in the surgical procedures usually involves animal or human cadavers. This arises a limitation on number of training cycles and types of pathologies a trainee operates on. This can lead to less practice and efficiency translated on to real surgical scenario. Additive manufacturing has been bridging this gap in recent years in the form of patient specific mock surgery models, pathology specific education models, surgical simulators. Taking it a step further, anatomy imitation materials and technologies are developed to match the looks, feel, strength, porosity of the real human anatomy. Craniotomy is one such procedure followed in most of the neurosurgical cases, to expose and operate on the brain in minimally invasive neurosurgery. Sheep bone is used in such cases for training purposes. We intend to work on above mentioned materials and technologies to study, understand, analyze and validate their usage in the case of craniotomy through drilling and cutting action.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Designed and Additively Manufactured of Anatomical Models for training applications

• Performed drilling and analysed the operations on 3D-printed anatomical models, utilizing Force Myography (FMG) sensors to collect real-time feedback.

• Compared and validated FMG sensor output from drilling experiments on different skull model grades.

• Interpreted sensor data to assess the accuracy and reliability of the additively manufactured models for surgical simulation.

STUDENTS WORKING ON THE PROJECTS

• Bhuwanesh Kumar Saini (2021HT79007)

• Sreejith Madhavan (2021HT79005)

• Ganesh Subramaniam (2021HT79012)

• Muthukumaran Kumarakurubaran (2021HT79006)

• Vijay Kumar S (2022HT30583)

• Surendran R  (2022HT56514)

• Somasundararaj. R (202118BT129)

• Banala Krishna Chaitanya (2022HT30651)

• K.N. Vishwanath (202218BT810)

• P. Vinodh (202218BT346)