Process Development and Control for Sensor-Informed Hybrid-Additive Manufacturing

Hybrid-Additive Manufacturing (hybrid-AM) systems enable production of high-quality components by leveraging the advantages of multiple distinct process in a single manufacturing platform. However, novel process combinations create challenges for machine control due to the lack of machine-agnostic hybrid manufacturing software. This work presents improvements to a hybrid-AM platform for technical ceramics, incorporating multi-material extrusion (polymer filament and ceramic paste), infra-red drying, green machining, and multi-modal sensing. A bespoke software package was created to facilitate control of the distinct technologies and sensing operations using a single production file. Sensor data is used for process calibration and dynamic process parameter adjustment, increasing the systems intelligence. For example, layer height measurements using a laser profilometer are used to tune the paste extrusion parameters. This enables the integrated fabrication of ceramic components with ~ 0.1 mm precision, complex geometries and near theoretical density, creating new manufacturing opportunities in the technical ceramics market.