Oral: Conformal Direct Ink Write Additive Manufacturing through Robotics

Direct ink write (DIW) traditionally utilizes a 3-axis gantry system, which moves linearly in the XYZ directions, restricting print orientation and limiting print surfaces to mostly planar shapes. Orientation and direction are known to impact the material properties of printed structures, most notably in anisotropic materials. Recently, the utilization of DIW with 6-axis robotic arms increases the degrees of freedom. However, there is limited research on the effects of the additional freedom on the material properties. This work will investigate these orientation effects (mechanical properties, geometrical fidelity and fiber alignment) using a robotic arm on an anisotropic material. A carbon fiber epoxy composite ink is deposited onto a sinusoidal surface via both a traditional gantry system and a robotic arm constantly held normal to the print surface. The epoxy prints were mechanically tensile tested, CT scanned to analyze fiber alignment, and 3D scanned to investigate geometrical accuracies to elucidate the role of nozzle orientation on the material properties. This research will provide insight into the effects of deposition orientation on material properties, allowing for understanding of printing onto complex surfaces to develop new applications such as conformal sensors.