Problem Statement

Metal additive manufacturing machines primarily use either wire or powder feedstock. Powdered metal is expensive and wire is hard to source for alloys that are not used in welding. The use of bar stock would be ideal, as most metals are readily available in rod form, but no standard exists for using rodstock in metal AM applications.

The goal of this project is to develop a feeding mechanism which will enable the use of various bar stock materials in metal AM applications, particularly the Vader AM machine in RIT’s Brinkman lab. The design must provide stock material fast enough to avoid slowing the machine down, without overfilling the microcrucible or negatively impacting part quality. The device must also be safe for both operator and machine, and be simple to use. While integration with the Vader is ideal, it is not the primary goal of this project.

1 page project summary here.

Project Name

Rod Feeder for Metal AM Machines.

Project Number

P19603

Project Family

N/A

Start Term

2181

End Term

2185

Faculty Guide

Gary Werth

Primary Customer

Dr. Denis Cormier

Sponsor (financial support)

AM Print Center, Dr. Denis Cormier

Planning & Execution

Project Photos and Videos

Imagine RIT

Gate Reviews

Problem Definition

Systems Design

Preliminary Detailed Design

Detailed Design

Build & Test Prep

Subsystem Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test

Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation (Verification & Validation)

PRP

Requirements

Schedule

Cost

Risk & Problem Management

Stakeholder Communication

Meeting Minutes

Use Cases

Benchmarking

Functional Decomposition

Morphological Chart

Pugh Concept Selection

BOM

Mechanical Drawings

Electrical Schematics

Software Diagrams

Manuals

SME Feedback-Ghoneim

SME Feedback-Barrios

Mockups

Test Fixtures

Prototyping

Test Plans

Analysis Results

Simulations

Test Results

Design Review Documents

Technical Paper

Poster

Imagine RIT Exhibit