Hybrid Metal Extrusion and Bonding (HYB) is a novel solid-state welding method for metals and alloys that utilises continuous extrusion as a technique to enable aluminium filler metal additions. In the present study, a new semi-analytical model for the heat generation during aluminium butt welding is presented. As a starting point, the classical Rosenthal thin plate solution for the pseudo-steady-state temperature distribution around a fully penetrating line source is invoked. Then, the associated heat generation is calculated by considering the individual contributions from the tip of the rotating pin, the pin shoulder, and the filler metal additions on the net power input. In a calibrated form, the model yields thermal efficiency factors that are in close agreement with those obtained from more sophisticated finite element analyses but with considerably less computational effort.
Nowadays, the use of 3D printing is becoming a key process for on-demand and customized manufacturing. One of the most flexible 3D printing techniques is fused deposition modeling (FDM), where the combination of multiple materials was recently introduced. A quantum leap in part design is possible by integrating local variations between materials that allow for expanded functionality to be built into a single part. Therefore, the process of co-extrusion and material mixing is becoming more and more popular. The process of management and design of the engineered part are still complicated, and there are no commercially available tools that follow the process from design to production of these highly engineered products. This paper proposes a methodology to fill this gap and allow any designer to be able to produce multi-material parts by editing a G-code (computer numerical control programming language) with engineered gradients for FDM technology. More specifically, the proposed approach is based on the modification of the G-code according to a volumetric model describing the local combination of two or more materials. This original aspect allows for a wide extension of the current software capabilities. To explain and test the method, a simple test case was investigated, in which two components of an earphone are consolidated and developed gradually by combining polylactic acid and thermoplastic polyurethane. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach within the limits of the material coextrusion additive manufacturing process.
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