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Article
Publication date: 12 January 2022

Andrey Kozhevnikov, Rudie P.J. Kunnen, Gregor E. van Baars and Herman J.H. Clercx

This study aims to examine the feasibility of feedforward actuation of the recoater blade position to alleviate the resin surface non-uniformity while moving over deep-to-shallow…

152

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the feasibility of feedforward actuation of the recoater blade position to alleviate the resin surface non-uniformity while moving over deep-to-shallow transitions of submerged (already cured) geometric features.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been used to determine optimized blade actuation protocols to minimize the resin surface non-uniformity. An experimental setup has been designed to validate the feasibility of the proposed protocol in practice.

Findings

A developed protocol for the blade height actuation is applied to a rectangular stair-like configuration of the underlying part geometry. The evaluation of the actuation protocol revealed the importance of two physical length scales, the capillary length and the size of the flow recirculation cell below in the liquid resin layer below the blade. They determine, together with the length scales defining the topography (horizontal extent and depth), the optimal blade trajectory. This protocol has also shown its efficiency for application to more complicated shapes (and, potentially, for any arbitrary geometry).

Practical implications

This study shows that incorporation of a feedforward control scheme in the recoating system might significantly reduce (by up to 80%) the surface unevenness. Moreover, this improvement of performances does not require major modifications of the existing architecture.

Originality/value

The results presented in this work demonstrate the benefits of the integration of the feedforward control to minimize the leading edge bulges over underlying part geometries in stereolithography.

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Article
Publication date: 8 January 2020

Andrei Kozhevnikov, Rudie P.J. Kunnen, Gregor E. van Baars and Herman J.H. Clercx

This paper aims to explore the fluid flow in the stereolithography process during the recoating step. The understanding of the flow dynamics can be used as an input for an active…

381

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the fluid flow in the stereolithography process during the recoating step. The understanding of the flow dynamics can be used as an input for an active control of the resin surface height map. The recoating over a rectangular cavity has been considered to investigate the influence of the cavity depth on the resin surface height map.

Design/methodology/approach

Two-dimensional numerical simulations have been used to obtain the flow characteristics as function of the cavity depth. An experimental setup, which mimics the recoating process in the stereolithography process, was used to verify the results of simulations and to test the suitability of the 2D model. The surface height profile along the centreline was measured by a confocal chromatic distance sensor and compared to the 2D numerical results.

Findings

By means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the flow in the cavity and the free-surface behaviour of the resin was explained for different cavity depths and confirmed by experiments.

Research limitations/implications

The study is focused only on the cavity depth variation to show feasibility and suitability of the presented CFD model and the proposed analytical expression to estimate the layer thickness.

Practical implications

The proposed approach can serve as a tool for designing the closed-loop control for the recoating system in the next generation of stereolithography equipment.

Originality/value

In the present work, the fluid flow behaviour, a source of significant imperfection in the recoating process, has been investigated during the recoating step over a rectangular cavity.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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