SAMPE Journal - July/August 2017 - 9
Article
for an entrepreneur. Professional
equipment can be acquired when
the business case is proven and
production volumes start rising.
The layered nature of fused
filament fabrication (FFF) leads to
steps in the surface topology and
porosity as established earlier2.
The surface of the tools needs to be
smoothed and sealed before use.
Spray filler is convenient because it
accomplishes both functions at the
same time. Using a thick release film
further improves the surface quality
- a PVA coating works well in this
regard.
Figure 3. Toolpaths for each layer of the core to be printed.
Figure 4. The core (middle) and two external mold halves (left and right)
after smoothing.
Figure 5. Vacuum-bagging of the part.
SAMPE Journal, Volume 53, No. 4, July/August 2017
Composite Manufacturing Using AM
Tooling
The typical materials used in fused
filament fabrication are not suitable
for high-temperature applications3
but the AM core and mold halves
are, however, strong enough to
withstand vacuum pressure without
significant deformation. Therefore,
we focus on wet lay-up and vacuum
infusion of carbon/epoxy laminates.
The stiffness of the tools can be
adjusted by material selection and
design. For example, the bicycle
parts shown in Figure 4 are made
using a rigid core and flexible outer
molds that allow the vacuum to
compress the laminate, but avoid
the wrinkles commonly seen with
vacuum bagging.
The composite part is left to cure
under vacuum (Figure 5) for 24
hours after which it can be extracted
from the bag. Some manual labour is
required for post-processing of the
part. The core needs to be removed
and the part requires post-curing,
cutting, sanding and surface coating.
Therefore,
this
manufacturing
route is not suitable for large series
production. This is not a problem
in the case of a tailor-made bicycle,
because the volumes are low and
new tools need to be made for each
customer anyway. Finally, we trim
the composite part and apply several
layers of lacquer to achieve a smooth
finish for the surface. The part is
bonded to CFRP tubes (Figure 6)
9
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - July/August 2017
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