Yüksek Mukavemetli Sürekli Elyaf Takviyeli Termoplastik Matrisli Kompozit Flamentler İçin Lazer Destekli Eklemeli Üretim Sistemi Tasarımı, Prototip Üretimi, Kompozit Flament Geliştirilmesi Ve Katman Kesit Üretiminin Geliştirilen Kompozitler için Optimize Edilmesi


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Yazıcı M. (Executive)

TUBITAK Project, 2019 - 2020

  • Project Type: TUBITAK Project
  • Begin Date: March 2019
  • End Date: September 2020

Project Abstract

Project Summary

The purpose of this project is to develop a new device which can produce continuous fiber thermoplastic composite parts with the Additive Manufacturing technology and to obtain a low-cost product suitable for commercial, academic and industrial, superior to a  few existing counterparts.

 

Additive Manufacturing technology is developing day by day, and its costs are rapidly falling. It is clear that Future Industry 4.0 AM will be the essential element of Industry 4.0 applications. Also, different applications are being introduced day to day in the direction of development of personalized products. Techniques that produce products that can be evaluated functionally in the place of direct use of products manufactured by articulated production technology are insufficient. For example, the sintering of different metal and ceramic powders with layered production grinding is efficiently used in the fields of aerospace, space, and medicinal products, where low production quantities are required, for more than ten years. However, these devices and the necessary powder products are still costly. Production speeds are still very low. The products obtained from 3D printer technologies using polymer materials are emerging as products with low strength, which can be used with more non-functional purposes. This situation pushes new quests. Fiber reinforced polymer composite materials have been used for many years as an alternative to conventional materials due to the low specific gravity and very high specific stiffness of each branch of the industry. In other words, the low density and strength polymer material is reinforced with high strength, stiffness and low-density fibers incorporated therein to develop high strength and low-density materials that will favor both properties. There are some production methods developed for the production of final parts from these materials. In these methods, parts can be produced with specialized equipment and mold investments. It is used in the production of products in various sectors such as aviation, space, defense, automotive, marine vehicles, and health sector. With the manufacturing flexibility provided by the Embedded Manufacturing (EÜ) technology, it is possible to produce final parts that can be printed directly by combining the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of their components, qualities suitable for use as final parts provided by composite materials. Recycling of waste is also possible when thermoplastic composite material technology is used. This is a criterion for the automotive sector, apart from the benefits it provides to the environment. To produce thermoplastic composite parts, printers that use layered production technology but produce parts directly with composite material have begun to be developed. This technology is very new. There are only two products that are commercialized. However, more patents have been issued. Both imported patents and commercialized products have significant shortcomings. The formation of weakly interfacial regions between the contact surfaces, low surface qualities, low-temperature layer bonding and high layer thicknesses. The specific aspects of the process and the parts of the literature search have been detailed in this issue. In this project, continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (PP, PA, PC, etc.) filaments shall be used in the form of a strip with a maximum thickness of 1 mm. The mentioned filaments are again produced in our laboratory, in our extrusion, fiber opening, and molding system. The EU system to be developed will improve the adhesion strength between the layers with a small follower printing cylinder which prepares these filaments by heating the area between the front layers during use as a layer. Immediately following the laser, it is aimed to improve the surfaces by making surface improvements on the lateral side surfaces. Thus, the thickness of the composite layer will be reduced to 0.1 mm. The proportion of fibers in the polymer is between 20-30% in the present examples. This project will be able to increase the fiber volume ratio up to 70%. This volume ratio is a parameter that will directly affect the part strength obtained.

As a result of this project, it is aimed to reach the first national 3D composite printer which can directly produce high strength continuous fiber reinforced (carbon, kevlar, basalt, glass, etc.) thermoplastic composite (PA, PP, PC etc.) parts by 3-dimensional model. We will design the entire head system of this printer, and the raw materials will also be developed from us using national products. It is targeted that the produced parts will be 50% higher in strength and 30% faster in production than the foreign counterparts of the products produced by this system.After accomplishing all novel purposes of this product, the parts that will be used as final products. These final parts will be produced directly with a very reasonable cost and from the 3D CAD model in Turkey. Investment costs will be reduced, and the competitive advantage to be gained will increase the chances of getting more jobs from international markets. It is possible to sell these devices and the developed raw materials with a production investment to be made. Thus, a small contribution to the reduction of the current account deficit, an increase in the number of small entrepreneurs and a positive effect on the increase in employment are expected. Especially in the field of material development and application, a lot of new scientific studies have the possibility of opening. Thanks to this system developed, three international declarations, two scientific publications, and at least one patent applications are expected as a result of the project to develop different thermoplastic materials to be made here. Under the scope of the study, undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students will work. The thesis of the Two MSc students will be given directly by this project. Indirectly, a large number of MSc. And Ph.D. students, who is working in our Applied Mechanics and Advanced Materials (UMIMAG) research group. Moreover, the use of this device in their thesis.