Lecture 3

Design For Additive Manufacturing

Contents

1. Introduction – DFAM
2. Methods for Design for Additive Manufacturing
3. Design Guidelines for Metal – Selective Laser Melting
4. Design Guidelines for Plastic – Fused Deposition Modeling
5. Conclusion
6. Questions and Discussion
1 . Introduction – DFAM
• Design for manufacturing (DFM) → rules and guidelines for traditional subtractive
manufacturing methods → gives best practices to manufacture the parts while keeping
the cost minimum

• Design for Assembly (DFA) → looks for the ease in assembly into early design with
reduced cost

• DFM and DFA cannot be used for designing Additive Manufacturing parts because it has
new way of producing the parts, i.e. by progressively adding the layers of material,
capable of producing the geometries that are not possible using subtractive process.

• Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) → rules and guidelines for additive
manufacturing methods

(Source: EOS GmbH.)

• Design For Additive Manufacturing

• Definition → It is an engineer guide to

design for manufacturability applied to
AM.

• DFAM is not figuring out the ways to

switch existing parts from subtractive
to additive route or it is not even
modifying existing part design to allow
it to print using AM. Rather, DFAM
involves redesigning or reimagining the
entire objects.

• This could include providing the lattice structure, changing the design, and/or
consolidating the whole assembly.

• Advantages → optimize cost, manufacturability, and reliability subjected to

the capabilities of Additive Manufacturing technologies.
1. NASA/Marshal Space Flight Center’s rocket fuel injector:

• NASA’s engineers have reduced 200 parts into just two parts.
• Redesigning the nozzle can enhance the fuel mixing within an engine
and better efficiency.

3D-printed rocket injector. (a) As-built part with the support. (b) After
post processed part. (Source: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)
 2. GE Aviation’s Helicopter Engine:

• In 2017, GE aviation used DFAM to redesign their helicopter engine by reducing 900
separates components to just 16 including one segment previously had 300 different
parts.
• The printed parts were 40% lighter, 60% cheaper, and exceeded the required NOx
emission reduction by 50%.
• To this part by traditional way, they needed 10 to 15 suppliers, tolerances, and other
things like nuts, welds, and braces.
• Using AM technology, process simplified a lot.

Internal LEAP (leading edge aviation propulsion). (Source: CFM)

2 . Methods for Design for Additive Manufacturing

2.1 Topology Optimization

• Definition → It allows optimizing traditional shaped part by simulating it where loads

will run through that part and keeps high-stress location and remove superfluous
material.
• Topologically optimized parts look more organic than easily designed in CAD software
as shown in Figure.
• software → Netfabb Autodesk, ANSYS, etc. → It analyses the CAD model and optimize
them by considering actual stress and strain conditions.

Topology optimization applied to design of

automotive upper control-arm. (Source: ANSYS)
2.2 Latticing – Multi-scale structural design

• Definition → Latticing known as cellular structure.

• Additive Manufacturing provides design freedom to designers to use lattice structure

on microscale and mesoscale for required properties.

• Lattice structure offers high strength low mass mechanical properties and
multifunctionality.

• Thus, it is being used in various industries like aerospace, automotive, medical, etc.

Topology optimization and Lattice structures given to

(a) Stateboard Truck (Titanium) (Source: Philipp Manger)
(b) Hip prosthesis. (Source: ANSYS)
 2.3 Parts consolidation – Simplified Assembly

• Additive Manufactruing has capability to eliminate the need of subassemblies and

consolidate all your parts into one production batch.
• Advantages → Reduces manufacturing cost, decreasing design time, increase material
strength, and improve functional performance.
• For example, GE aviation used DFAM to redesign their helicopter engine (Figure) by
reducing 900 separates components to just 16 including one segment previously had 300
different parts.

Internal LEAP (leading edge aviation propulsion).

(Source: CFM)
2.4 Design for Mass Customization

• AM offers a way to customize the product in an easy way.

• For example, mass customization is seen in medical industries where devices

such as individual braces, prosthesis to surgical guides are designed to match
patient’s anatomy.

Acetabular Cup (Source: Renishaw)

2.5 Multi-Material Design

• The parts with the multiple materials or functionally graded products can be
produced using AM technologies, e.g. Material Jet and Fused Deposition
Modeling.
• Several designs and simulations are available for the same. Currently, some
technology offer only homogeneous material, e.g. Powder Bed Fusion.

Stratasys J750 Polyjet 3D Printer (Source: Tech-Labs)

3 . D e s i g n i n g G u i d e l i n e s f o r Metal – Selective
Laser Melting
• DFAM gives the part with better quality, dimension accuracy and surface finish.
• Failure in following the guidelines will result in failure in part printing, the
printer can damage, and wastage of material, money, and cost.
• DFAM requires expertise in metallurgy, thermodynamic, and mechanics for
specific printing process and material.

• We are going to learn:

1. Designing Metal Printing
2. Residual Stresses
3. Build Orientation
3.1 Designing Metal Printing

Feature Description

We can print wall thickness for most of the material is

0.4 mm for successful printing. Again, it is dependent
on material, orientation, and process parameters.

Minimum reliable pin diameter is 1 mm.

We can print holes diameter from 0.5 to 6 mm without

support. We need to orient the sample to avoid the
support to come inside for holes diameter from 6 to 10
mm. Above 10 mm hole diameter, in horizontal
orientation, holes require support structure to be able
to print successfully.
This is escape hole which is required to remove the
un-melted metal powder. Recommended hole diameter
is 2-5 mm to remove metal powder with ease.

Minimum angle for overhanging features where

support material is not required is 45̊ with respect to
horizontal surface. We can reduce this angle further by
optimizing the process parameters.

Length to diameter/part section is 8:1 to ensure the

stability of the part.

Part tolerance in Z-direction is ±1 mm layer thickness

and in X-Y plane is 0.127 mm.
3.2 Residual Stresses

• Reasons for residual stresses and its effect

(a) During Melting Stage: figure shows a new weld track on top of a solid substrate.

(b) After solidification on a layer: figure shows generated shear force after
solidification.
(Source: Renishaw)

(c) This sets up the residual stresses in material. Residual stresses increase with the
increase in height of the part.
• Effect of residual stresses

• Residual stresses are destructive in nature and it can cause the failure/
cracking of the part as shown in Fig.

• Serious cracking in selective laser melted part due to residual stresses

generated in part as a result of rapid melting and cooling. (Source:
Renishaw)
• Ideas to reduce residual stresses

Description

1. Part Design • Avoid large cross section areas

• avoid the sharp edges of the part by providing fillet or rounding it
off.

2. Scanning strategy • Scan line ↓ thermal gradient ↓ Residual stress ↓

• Laser scanning strategies: (a) Meander; (b) Stripe, and (c) Checker
Board patterns.

• Scan rotation by 67̊ between layers

3. Building Platform • Increase the platform layer thickness and

• Increase the platform temperature
3.3 Build Orientation

• Need to consider Build Orientation

Six possible ways to orient T-structure for printing. (Source: Renishaw)

• Build orientation defines the actual geometry of each layer and therefore can affect
directly the part quality, time, and cost.
• Guidelines for build orientation

Description

1. Overhang • Overhang features less than 45̊ required support structure

• If support is not provided → it will generate rough surface due to

partially sintering of powder below overhang resulting from slower
cooling of the weld pool
• Idea → we should ideally orient the part which will self-support.
This will reduce build cost and post-processing efforts.
 Description

2. Local Minima • Local minima can be defined as the area of part that is not
connected to layer below as shown in Fig

• If support is not provided → Part will not build and it will get
carried away with recoater
• Idea → We should design the part with minimum local minima.
 Description

3. Orientation of • It decides the success of printing.

part with respect to
recoater direction

• Fig a: Area of contact is high → chances of failure is high

• Fig a: Area of contact is minimum → chances of success is high
3 . D e s i g n i n g G u i d e l i n e s f o r P l a s t i c – Fu s e d
D e p o s i t i o n Te c h n o l o g y
Feature Description
We can print wall thickness for most of the
material is 1.2 mm for successful printing.

Minimum angle for overhanging features

where support material is not required is 45̊
with respect to horizontal surface.

Standard accuracy in X-Y plane is 0.2 mm.

Surface quality: Printed part shows staircase
effect in building direction. Thus, think about
the surface where you need better surface
quality and choose the orientation
accordingly.
Anisotropy: FDM parts show anisotropy in
mechanical properties. We need to think about
the direction in which we need better strength.
5 . Conclusion

1. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) → rules and guidelines for

additive manufacturing methods

(Source: EOS GmbH.)

2. DFAM involves redesigning or reimagining the entire objects.

3. Advantages → optimize cost, manufacturability, and reliability subjected to

the capabilities of Additive Manufacturing technologies.

4. Design guidelines for both metal and plastics are required to consider before
printing the part to avoid failure.
6 . Questions and Discussion:

1. What are five main design guidelines for metal – powder bed fusion
technology?
2. What are five main design guidelines for plastic – fused deposition
technology?
3. Why should we design the part before printing it as it is?
4. What are the methods to design the parts for AM?