Hybrid Metal Extrusion &amp; Bonding (HYB) - a new technology for solid-state additive manufacturing of aluminium components

et al. 2020

JEDT

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Purpose This paper proposes the combination of rapid prototyping and physical modelling as a set-based concept evaluation method in the early stage of new product development. Design/methodology/approach The concept evaluation method is applied in a case study of a new metal additive manufacturing process for aluminium, where a set of four extruder concepts has been modelled and evaluated. Rapid prototyping was used to produce plastic models of the different designs, and plasticine feedstock material was used to physically model the metal flow during operation. Finally, the selected concept has been verified in full-scale for processing of aluminium feedstock material. Findings The proposed method led to several valuable insights on critical factors that were unknown at the outset of the development project. Overall, these insights enabled concept exploration and concept selection that led to a substantially better solution than the original design. Research limitations/implications This method can be applied for other projects where numerical approaches are not applicable or capable, and where the costs or time required for producing full-scale prototypes are high. Practical implications Employing this method can enable a more thorough exploration of the design space, allowing new solutions to be discovered. Originality/value The proposed method allows a design team to test and evaluate multiple concepts at lower cost and time than what is usually required to produce full-scale prototypes. It is, therefore, concluded to be a valuable design strategy for the early development stages of complex products or technologies.

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Concept evaluation in new product development

Blindheim

Elverum

et al. 2020

JEDT

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“…The use of filler material addition during HYB welding may have some obvious advantages if adapted for AM purposes, which have sparked our interest in exploring the potential of such a process. The initial exploration and conceptualisation prior to this work are presented in previous studies [14,15].…”

Section: Process Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First demonstration of a new additive manufacturing process based on metal extrusion and solid-state bonding

Blindheim

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Steinert

2019

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In this paper, a new additive manufacturing (AM) process based on extrusion and solid-state bonding is presented. The process uses metal feedstock wire which is processed in a continuous rotary extruder in order to disperse the surface oxides of the feedstock and to provide the required bonding pressure. Simultaneously, the die outlet is scraping the contact surface to provide an oxide-free interface between the extrudate and the substrate. Optical analyses of samples from a layered structure produced from AA6082 reveal that the stringers are fully merged; however, some voids and cracks are observed between the individual stringers. Still, this initial demonstration indicates that the process, upon further development, has high potential of producing near-net-shape parts at high deposition rates.

“…[23][24][25] In the HYB process, favourable features of FSW and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) are combined by allowing solid state joining through aluminium filler metal (FM) additions along with the use of an appropriate groove or joint design. [26][27][28][29][30] For example, in butt joining of aluminium plates and profiles using HYB, groove cross-sections up to 20 mm 2 can be filled with solid aluminium in one pass, ensuring metallic bonding between the FM and the BM by a combination of oxide dispersion and severe plastic deformation. 26,27 The energy consumption of the HYB method is comparable with that of FSW when it comes to heat input and extent of heataffected zone (HAZ) softening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatigue properties of AA6060‐T6 butt welds made by hybrid metal extrusion & bonding

Sandnes

Grong

Fatigue Fract Eng Mat Struct

et al. 2020

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The present investigation is concerned with high‐cycle axial fatigue testing of a 2‐mm AA6060‐T6 hybrid metal extrusion & bonding (HYB) butt weld produced in the solid state using AA6082 filler metal addition. The results complement the three‐point bend testing and the tensile testing done in two previous studies. In this study, optical microscope and scanning electron microscope examinations have been carried out to reveal the joint macro/microstructure and document possible surface and root defects deemed to affect fatigue life. In the as‐welded condition, the HYB weld suffers from surface irregularities at the weld face and ‘kissing’ bond formation in the root region. Despite of this, the subsequent testing shows that the fatigue properties exceed those reported for comparable AA6082‐T6 gas metal arc butt welds and matching those reported for corresponding high‐strength laser beam and friction stir weldments.