Photopolymer based customized additive manufacturing technologies

01.06.2010 - 30.05.2013
Research funding project
Lithography based additive manufacturing technologies (AMT) are capable of fabricating parts with excellent surface quality, good feature resolution and precision. With recent developments in the field of ultra-short-pulse lasers and light engines based on light emitting diodes, robust and economical light sources have become available. This project aims at developing integrated lithography-based additive manufacturing systems which will, for the first time, facilitate the processing of photopolymer-based materials for the factory of the future. The focus of the project is to unite industrial know-how in the field of software development, photopolymers and ceramics, high-performance light-sources, system integration and end-users in order to provide a fully integrated process chain at the end of the project. The consortium will rely on two core-technologies: (1) Digital light processing (DLP) based processes will be used to process ceramic-filled photopolymers, leading to fully dense ceramic parts at the end of the process chain. (2) Two photon polymerization (2PP) will be used to fabricate high-resolution structures with features in the range of 100-200nm. Both processes will be tuned to reduce system cost, and significantly increase throughput and reliability at the same time. Goal is to deliver 'first-time-right' strategies for the involved end-users. Targeted applications include thread guides for textile machinery, ceramic moulds for the fabrication of high-performance turbine blades and microstructures for computer tomography equipment.

People

Project leader

Sub project leader

Project personnel

Institute

Grant funds

  • European Commission (EU) FP7 I.4 COOPERATION Nano-sciences, Nano-technlogies, Materials and new Production Technologies 7.Rahmenprogramm für Forschung European Commission - Framework Programme European Commission Call identifier FP7-2010-NMP-ICT-FoF Application number CP 260043

Research focus

  • Non-metallic Materials: 50%
  • Sustainable Production and Technologies: 20%
  • Materials Characterization: 10%
  • Modeling and Simulation: 20%

Keywords

GermanEnglish
Generative FertigungAdditive Manufacturing Technologies
Photopolymerephotopolymers

External partner

  • Institut für Angewandte Synthesechemie
  • Institut für Managementwissenschaften

Publications