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Love, Lonnie J

Publications and source records attributed to Love, Lonnie J.

11 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

The Economics of Big Area Addtiive Manufacturing

Case studies on the economics of Additive Manufacturing (AM) suggest that processing time is the dominant cost in manufacturing. Most additive processes have similar performance metrics: small part sizes, low production rates and expensive feedstocks. Big Area Additive Manufacturing is based on transitioning polymer extrusion technology from a wire to a pellet feedstock. Utilizing pellets significantly increases deposition speed and lowers material cost by utilizing low cost injection molding feedstock. The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers eliminates the need for a heated chamber, significantly reducing machine power requirements and size constraints. We hypothesize that the increase in productivity coupled with decrease in feedstock and energy costs will enable AM to become more competitive with conventional manufacturing processes for many applications. As a test case, we compare the cost of using traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) with BAAM for additively manufacturing composite tooling.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE DURABILITY OF LARGE-SCALE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COMPOSITE MOLDS

Oak Ridge National Laboratory s Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology permits the rapid production of thermoplastic composite molds using a carbon fiber filled Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic. Demonstration tools (i.e. 0.965 m X 0.559 m X 0.152 m) for composite part fabrication have been printed, coated, and finished with a traditional tooling gel. We present validation results demonstrating the stability of thermoplastic printed molds for room temperature Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) processes. Arkema s Elium thermoplastic resin was investigated with a variety of reinforcement materials. Experimental results include dimensional characterization of the tool surface using laser scanning technique following demolding of 10 parts. Thermoplastic composite molds offer rapid production compared to traditionally built thermoset molds in that near-net deposition allows direct digital production of the net geometry at production rate of 45 kg/hr.

Post, Brian K↗
DOE OSTI2016

OPERATOR BURDEN IN METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging manufacturing process that creates usable machine parts via layer-by-layer joining of a stock material. With this layer-wise approach, high-performance geometries can be created which are impossible with traditional manufacturing methods. Metal AM technology has the potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing burden of developing custom hardware; however, a major consideration in choosing a metal AM system is the required amount of operator involvement (i.e., operator burden) in the manufacturing process. The operator burden not only determines the amount of operator training and specialization required but also the usability of the system in a facility. As operators of several metal AM processes, the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Labs is uniquely poised to provide insight into requirements for operator involvement in each of the three major metal AM processes. The paper covers an overview of each of the three metal AM technologies, focusing on the burden on the operator to complete the build cycle, process the part for final use, and reset the AM equipment for future builds.

Elliott, Amy M↗
DOE OSTI2016

INVESTIGATION OF IN-AUTOCLAVE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COMPOSITE TOOLING

The autoclave is a crucial piece of equipment for fabricating Tier 1 polymer composite aerospace structural components with very low void content (i.e. < 5 %). The essential component in this composite manufacturing process is the rigid mold that defines the final shape of the fabricated composite component. The Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory s (ORNL) Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) has been used to manufacture a new generation of in-autoclave tools that can be used to fabricate various aerospace composite parts. Different tools made form Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) with 50 % by weight carbon fiber and Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) with 25 % carbon fiber are investigated in this study. The behavior of the printed tools under different temperature ramp rates for the autoclave cycles was observed and analyzed.

Kunc, Vlastimil↗
DOE OSTI2015

Breaking Barriers in Polymer Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables the creation of complex structures directly from a computer-aided design (CAD). There are limitations that prevent the technology from realizing its full potential. AM has been criticized for being slow and expensive with limited build size. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a large scale AM system that improves upon each of these areas by more than an order of magnitude. The Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system directly converts low cost pellets into a large, three-dimensional part at a rate exceeding 25 kg/h. By breaking these traditional barriers, it is possible for polymer AM to penetrate new manufacturing markets.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2014

Stack sampling apparatus

An apparatus for obtaining samples from a structure includes a support member, at least one stabilizing member, and at least one moveable member. The stabilizing member has a first portion coupled to the support member and a second portion configured to engage with the structure to restrict relative movement between the support member and the structure. The stabilizing member is radially expandable from a first configuration where the second portion does not engage with a surface of the structure to a second configuration where the second portion engages with the surface of the structure.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Importance of Carbon Fiber to Polymer Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing holds tremendous promise in terms of revolutionizing manufacturing. However, fundamental hurdles limit mass adoption of the technology. First, production rates are extremely low. Second, the physical size of parts is generally small, less than a cubic foot. Third, while there is much excitement about metal additive manufacturing, the major growth area is in polymer additive manufacturing systems. Unfortunately, the mechanical properties of the polymer parts are poor, limiting the potential for direct part replacement. To address this issue, we describe three benefits of blending carbon fiber with polymer additive manufacturing. First, development of carbon fiber reinforced polymers for additive manufacturing achieves specific strengths approaching aerospace quality aluminum. Second, carbon fiber radically changes the behavior of the material during deposition, enabling large scale, out-of-the-oven, high deposition rate manufacturing. Finally, carbon fiber technology and additive manufacturing complement each other. Merging the two manufacturing processes enables the construction of complex components that would not be possible otherwise.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2013

Mesofluidic two stage digital valve

A mesofluidic scale digital valve system includes a first mesofluidic scale valve having a valve body including a bore, wherein the valve body is configured to cooperate with a solenoid disposed substantially adjacent to the valve body to translate a poppet carried within the bore. The mesofluidic scale digital valve system also includes a second mesofluidic scale valve disposed substantially perpendicular to the first mesofluidic scale valve. The mesofluidic scale digital valve system further includes a control element in communication with the solenoid, wherein the control element is configured to maintain the solenoid in an energized state for a fixed period of time to provide a desired flow rate through an orifice of the second mesofluidic valve.

42 ENGINEERING↗