Robust design for additive manufacturing – RobustAM

Nowadays, and due to its maturity level, the additive manufacturing technology is used in quasi-industrial applications in various engineering fields, such as aerospace and automotive domains. Many simulations tools and experimental methods enable a better understanding and control of this process, but many sources of uncertainties remain on the reliability and the reproducibility of the manufactured AM products.
The objective of this project is to propose a robust optimization approach considering epistemic and aleatory uncertainties in a global product / process design approach for additive manufacturing.
From the analysis of existing product and process models, the analysis of the sources of uncertainty, their classification and then their modeling, this project will implement the best multi-objective optimization techniques under uncertainties, in order to develop a toolbox for efficient control of effects of uncertainties during product design by exploiting the full potential of additive manufacturing.
RobustAM project intends to unlock the following scientific locks:
• Identification of the main manufacturing phenomena, mechanical behaviors, and their associated uncertainties.
• Selection of appropriate models to get the good balance between accurate results and simulation performances.
• Identification of parameters to model and to measure to compare real products characteristics and theorical models.
• Identification of noise parameter and design parameters along with robustness metrics.

This project includes an experimental work that consist in manufacturing and characterizing test parts using existing facilities of the consortium members. These test parts will be specific to the 3 different processes studied: 1) extrusion of polymer threads loaded with carbon fiber, 2) ADAM technology using metallic powder sheathed in a thermoplastic filament and 3) arc-wire WAAM technology. The deliverables of this project will be a software framework based on open-source technologies and examples of use on test cases with the necessary experimental data.
The consortium is made up of 2 laboratories: the Design, Manufacturing and Control laboratory (LCFC) from the campus of Metz of Arts et Métiers Engineering school and the Mechanical Systems and Simultaneous Engineering Laboratory of the University of Technology of Troyes associated with the EPF Engineering school of Troyes.