Effect of Building Orientation on Additive Manufacturing
The building orientation affects the additive manufacturing processes in:
- Generation of support
- Building time and energy consumption
- Surface roughness
- Internal stress built up
Forms of Feedstock for Additive Manufacturing
The feedstock for additive manufacturing can be in the forms of:
- Liquid
- Solid (wire or sheet)
- Powder
Purpose of Slicing for Additive Manufacturing
The slicing process is to obtain the geometry of 2D layer of a complex 3D part at different z locations.
Functions of Support in Additive Manufacturing
The functions of support during building part in additive manufacturing are:
- To support the free-standing and disconnected (overhanging) features
- To keep all features of a part in place during the fabrication
- To constrain the distortion of large thin fins
- To conduct heat
General Comparison between Direct and Indirect Exchange Methods
- Number of translators: Direct – larger, Indirect – smaller
- Speed of translation: Direct – faster, Indirect – slower
- Data loss during translation: Direct – no, Indirect – yes
- Data file produced after translation: Direct – smaller, Indirect – larger
Comparison between Polycode and Monocode
Polycode: Interpretation of each symbol in the sequence is always the same; it does not depend on the value of the preceding symbols. They can carry much less information, longer code is required. Moncode: Interpretation of each successive symbol depends on the value of the preceding symbols. They can carry a large amount of information with very few codes, code is shorter. The meaning of a digit is hard to identify.
Difference between Fixed Production Line and Job Shop
Job shop: Low stability, high flexibility. Fixed production line: High stability, low flexibility.
Flexible Manufacturing System and its Advantages
A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is an automated group technology cell consisting of processing stations interconnected by an automated handling system and controlled by a computer. Its advantages include higher machine utilization, reduced work-in-process, lower manufacturing lead times, greater flexibility in production scheduling.
Part Family
Collection of parts that are similar either in design or manufacturing attributes.
Criteria for an Automated Manufacturing System to be Flexible
The system must process different part styles in non-batch mode, be able to accept changes in the production schedule, deal gracefully with equipment breakdowns, and accommodate new part style introductions.
Applications of Flexible Manufacturing Systems
Generally applied in medium-volume, medium-variety production.