ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Journal Teknologi

THE MOST SUITABLE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM USED IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

LEE JIN FENG

1
School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

E-mail: jflee.45351770@outlook.my

Received: 15 September 2019

Accepted for publication: 29 September 2019
Published: 28 October 2019

ABSTRACT
This paper highlights on finding the most suitable additive manufacturing system used in internal combustion
engine components manufacturer company in order to replace the computer numerical control (CNC) machining
in future. Open source 3D printing provides a good platform for companies to develop and improve their
products that able to create whatever stuff they could dream up on their own. Through survey, there are several
Germany inventor and manufacturer that applied this system to their business. The methodologies for each types
of the additive manufacturing are described in order to analyse the capability of machine so that fulfil the
productivity in our company. As a manager, the selection carried on to pick the machine from the 4 types of
machines that best suits for our manufacturing company.

Keywords: additive manufacturing system; machines; computer numerical control machining

1.0 INTRODUCTION fabricated complex part layer by layer in much less

time than usual. Meanwhile, startup DTM produced the
Additive manufacturing is the official industry standard
world’s first selective laser sintering (SLS) machine
term for all applications of the technology. In contrast
which emits laser light in powder instead of liquid.
to the subtractive manufacturing method, it is defined
In 1999, the original Beverly Hills 90210 entered its
as the process of joining materials layer by layer to
final season of broadcast but also because the first 3D-
make objects from 3D model data. As part of internal
printed organ was implanted in humans. Scientists at
combustion engine components manufacturer company,
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
we can not only rely on the computer numerical control
printed synthetic scaffolds of a human bladder and
(CNC) for our process because this method produces a
applied the coating to the cells of human patients. The
lot of waste.
newly created tissue was implanted into the patients
In 1981, Hideo Kodama of Nagoya Municipal
with little to no chance that their immune systems
Industrial Research Institute published his report on the
would reject them, as they were made up of their own
use of a functional rapid-prototyping system. A solid
cells.
printed model was layered and each layer corresponds
This was also the decade in which 3D printing
to a cross-sectional slice in the model.
encountered an open-source movement. In 2005, Dr.
Three years later, in 1984, Charles Hull created a
Adrian Bowyer’s RepRap project launched an open-
history of 3D printing by inventing stereolithography
source initiative to create a 3D printer that could build
(SLA). SLA allows designers to create 3D models
on its own or at least print most of its own parts. Its
using digital data and then use it to create a tangible
2008 release, Darwin, is a self-replicating printer that’s
object.
able to do just that. Suddenly, people around the world
In 1992, Bill Clinton played saxophone on The
have ability to create whatever stuff they could dream
Arsenio Hall Show and 3D Systems built the world’s
up on their own. Meanwhile, open source 3D printing
first SLA apparatus machine which allowed it to be
provides a good platform for companies to develop and

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improve their products as prototypes while still under
development.
By the mid-2000s, the democratization of
manufacturing had aroused the public imagination as
the idea of mass customization had caught the attention
of the public. The first SLS machine was put into
commercial use in 2006 which opened the door to
production of industrial parts on demand. 3D-printing
startup Objet built a machine that could print on a
variety of materials which allowed an individual part
to be made in different versions, with different material
properties.
Ending a decade of prosperity with the launch of
collaborative co-creation services such as Shapeways,
which is the 3D-printing marketplace where designers
can get feedback from consumers and other designers
and then build their products at affordable prices. As
the cherry on top, MakerBot debuts to provide
manufacturers with open-source DIY kits for makers to
build their own 3D printers and products. At this point,
the barriers to entry for designers and inventors were
decreasing every day.
Today, looking back over the past few years, it is
hard not to feel like humans are living in the future.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
3D printers are able to produce a wide range of parts
and products directly from computer files and are
replacing traditional manufacturing techniques such as
injection molding, foundry milling and lathes in order
to quickly create everything. The most critical part in
data collection is to look for the most suitable 3D
printing technology used in our company. In [1], when
buying a 3D printer for a company, we need to consider
numerous factors, from its materials, size and
consumables to its speed, software and how quickly it
can churn out parts. After all, it can be a huge
investment for a dedicated machine.
Due to charateristics of material that use in the 3D
printing technologies, recent research from European
Commission obtained their explaination [2]. For what
concerns Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), some of
the most popular materials are thermoplastic. For what
concerns SLS, the most popular materials are
represented by the category of polyamides. As for SLA,
plastics and resins are widely used.
For internal combustion engine components,
Selective laser melting (SLM) up new possibilities for
enhanced performance. The Lions Racing Team from
the Braunschweig University of Technology is a
student association that annually builds and develops
electronic racing cars to compete in Formula Student.
2
the motor cooling was manufactured with oversize in
the SLM process and then internally turned out [3].
KRAIBURG Austria has specialized in retreading
tires and has become one of the most important
suppliers of tire material, providing solutions for
industry specific problems of all kinds. SLM enables
KRAIBURG mold makers to produce even the most
complicated molds, which would be impossible to
achieve with conventional production processes such as
milling or casting [4].
Rolf Lenk Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH is
specialized in the manufacturing of tools, machines,
and components for small and medium enterprises from
different industries. This company reproduced some
spare parts for which there are no construction plans or
cannot be found. The part is scanned completely using
a 3D scanner. The recorded data are then transferred
into a CAD drawing and converted into the original
state using a remodeling process. After that, additive
manufacturing on a SLM machine commenced [5].
Hirschvogel Automotive Group develops, produces
and sells high-strength parts for the automotive
industry. A steering knuckle it was possible to achieve
a weight saving of 40 % in the neck area while SLM is
compared to the conventional forged part [6].
3.0 METHODOLOGY
All 3D printers do not use the same technology. There
are many ways to print these layers to form the final
product. Some techniques liquefy or simply soften the
material to form a layer, while others use a high
powered ultraviolet laser to cure the photosensitive
resin and "print" the object.
Figure 1: Process of 3D printing
As shown in Figure 1, the first step in a 3D printed
object is to create a model of the object using CAD
software [7]. The model describes the geometrical
properties of the object. The CAD file is then converted
to STL file format. This file format defines the external
closed surfaces of the original CAD model. The STL
file also includes data for each single layer and can be
calculated for these layers. The STL file is sent to the
3D printer and the set up the printer before build
process, where settings include build parameters such
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as energy source, layer thickness, and so on. The part is
then printed by an automated process without any
supervision. Once the print is complete, the printed part
will be taken out and sent for post processing. After
that, the object is ready to be applied.
Since there are different 3D printing technologies,
the type to be used depends mainly on the kind of
object to be manufactured. Each of them has its
claimed benefits and shortcomings.
Basically, the 3D printing technologies can be
classified into 3 types which are liquid base, powder
base and solid base. SLA is liquid base. SLS and SLM
are powder base. FDM is solid base.
 Stereolithography (SLA)
 SLA is primarily used to create models,
prototypes and patterns. It uses ultraviolet laser
and a vat of resin to make parts. The laser beam
marks the design on the surface of the liquid
polymer. Exposure to the ultraviolet laser
bonds the atomic chains in the polymer [8].
When the photopolymer resins react with the
laser, it forms a solid part in a very precise
way.
Figure 2: Stereolithography process
The Figure 2 shows the setting for SLA. The vat is
filled with polymer and has a mobile platform. Based
on the data entered in the printer, the laser beam
converges on the X-Y axis on the top surface of the
resin. The resin hardens precisely where the laser hits
the surface. After the first layer is completed, the
platform in the vat is dropped slightly along the Z-axis
and the next layer is then traced over the previous layer.
This process goes on until the entire object is printed
and the platform is elevated out of the vat for removal.
 Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
During this process, tiny particles of plastic, ceramics
or glass are combined by heat of the high powered laser
beam to form a solid.
3
Figure 3: Basic setup of SLS
As shown in Figure 3, the laser is traced along the
powder bed according to the data file. The powder in
the powder bed is tightly compressed. The laser moves
in the X and Y directions. The laser then hits the
surface of the powdered material. It sinters the particles
to each other to form a solid. After the completion of
one layer, the powder bed is lowered in the Z direction
and the levelling drum smoothes the powder on the
surface of the bed. The laser continues to trace and
form the design required. The process repeats itself
until the entire object is printed. The object is then left
to be cooled down.
 Selective laser melting (SLM)
During laser melting processes, an inert gas flow is
required to maintain the atmosphere within the build
chamber. The inert gas flow is needed to minimize
contamination of the parts during high-temperature
processing and to remove the condensate produced
during the melting process. The condensate formed
within the build chamber can result in reduction in the
effective laser energy reaching the powder bed by
absorption and laser light scattering. It has been shown
that the flow rate, flow direction and type of gas will
introduce changes to the resultant microstructure and
porosity of the metal parts, which in turn affects the
mechanical properties of the fabricated parts.
Hence, it is important
to verify the effect of this
utility during qualification
of the laser-melting
system. The Figure 4
shows the process
involves a layer of
spherical metal powder
spread uniformly across a
metal platform. A laser
beam scans across it using
high-speed X-Y
galvanometers based on
the computer-generated
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tool path. The focused Table 1: Comparison of different types of 3D

laser beam fully melts the printing technologies
powder and fuses it to the
layer below after which Additive
the platform descends one- manufacturin Advantages Disadvantages
layer thickness and the g system
whole process is repeated SLA  Most accurate  Requires post
until the part is printing process processing to
manufactured.  Excellent remove
surface finish support
 Relatively fast structure
production  Parts are
 Good for affected by
complex models moisture, heat,
 Scalability is and chemicals
simple  limited to
photosensitive
Figure 4: Laser resin
melting process SLS  Excellent layer  Not very
adhesion accurate
 Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)  Does not  Porous and
This process is used for model making and prototyping. require support brittle
3D printers that run on this technology build a part structure  Produces a lot
layer by layer from the bottom to the top by heating and  Fast process of waste
extruding thermoplastic filament according to the 3D  High initial
data supplied to the printer [9]. Each layer solidifies cost
when it is put down and it bonds to the former layer. SLM  Suitable for  Not suitable
producing dense for composite
parts materials
 No distinct  Melt pool
binder and melt instabilities
phases and higher
 No time residual
consuming and stresses
costly furnace  High initial
post-treatments cost
Figure 5: Fused deposition process FDM  Accurate and  Requires post
reliable process processing to
The Figure 5 how to use FDM to produce parts.  Wide variety of remove
The heated extrusion head extrudes small dots of materials support
thermoplastic fabric to form a layer. It can be moved available structure
horizontally and vertically by a numerical control  Low  More area in
mechanism. The material hardens straightaway after maintanance slices requires
coming out from the spout. cost longer build
Some of the 3D printing technologies make use of times
thermos-plastic filament, others use conventional light
source or laser source to cure molecule.Table 1 shows 4.0 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
that the advantages and disadvantages of the 4 types of
3D printing technologies. After filtering and analysing the 3D printing
technologies, the SLM is the best choice to implement

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in an internal combustion engine components [4] SLM Solutions Group AG. KRAIBURG-SLM®-
manufacturer company. Tire Molds. Germany. 2019.
Although the initial [5] SLM Solutions Group AG. Cover for the control
cost of the machine is box of a Cadillac Eldorado. Germany. 2019.
relatively high, the [6] SLM Solutions Group AG. Car Steering Knuckle.
excellent surface quality is Germany. 2019.
the main reason to select it
[7] C.K. Chua, K.F. Leong & C.S. Lim. Rapid
as there is no time
prototyping – principles and applications.
consuming on furnace
post-treatments. The key Singapore: World Scientific Publishing. 2003.
point is the SLM only [8] Paulo Jorge Ba´rtolo and Ian Gibson, History of
suitable for producing Stereolithographic Processes, Centre for Rapid and
dense parts such as pure Sustainable Product, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria,
metals or alloys. There are Leiria, Portugal.
completely in line with the [9] Ludmila Novakova-Marcincinova, Ivan Kuric,
needs of our company. Basic and Advanced Materials for Fused Deposition
Modeling Rapid Prototyping Technology, Manuf.
5.0 CONCLUSION
and Ind. Eng., 11(1), 2012, ISSN 1338-6549
3D printing has revolutionized the way it is made. It
improves the design manufacturing and reduces lead
time and tooling cost for new products. There are
several technologies used by 3D printers to build
objects. The type of technology to be used depends
mostly on the object to be manufactured. A comparison
was carried out to show which method is the best fit for
a particular job.
Even though these
technologies differ in their
respective ways, they
bring a host of benefits
that conventional
manufacturing cannot
simply achieved. They
customize products
according to the individual
needs. They can also build
complex products that
cannot be physically
produced in any other
ways.

6.0 REFERENCES
[1] Brian Nadel (2019, Feb 15). The Best Industrial 3D
Printers of 2019. Business.com. Retrieved from
https://www.business.com
[2] Programme of the European Union. Methodology
for defining 3D printing exercises suitable for
transversal education. London, KA202. 2017.
[3] SLM Solutions Group AG. Sinter motor cooling in
the racing car. Germany. 2019.