Internship: 3D metal Printing in Aerospace: Directed Energy Deposition optimized process parameters

Job description

3D printing (or additive manufacturing) is a manufacturing process which is gaining popularity within the aerospace sector thanks to the possibilities offered by this technology to manufacture highly optimized and efficient, lightweight structures. One of the most promising metal additive manufacturing methods is Directed Energy Deposition (DED), in which a laser selectively heats and melts powder in a powder stream that is directed directly at the print. By adding material tracks layer by layer a metal part is built. The mechanics of the melt pool are very important to the whole process and have a large influence on the quality of the print. The physics of the melt pool are complicated and not well understood. Description: The aim of the research is to create code/script in python, coupled with finite element simulations, to optimize printing parameters. The goal of this optimization is to prevent overheating and therefor improve the quality of the print. Both part-scale and melt pool-scale simulations can be used in this assignment. This includes a literature study focussing on the relevant parameters affecting temperature distribution and thermal gradients throughout the part. Y...