Applying systems engineering principles to develop an open source laser based metal powder bed fusion system
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 25 September 2024
Issue publication date: 24 October 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Conventional powder bed fusion systems, with their high costs, proprietary nature and restrictive fees, limit research opportunities. This study aims to unveil an affordable, open-source hardware, open-source software laser-based metal powder bed fusion system. Recognizing the distinction between DIY and open-source hardware is crucial for widespread acceptance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors present a comprehensive system architecture using object process methodology for functions and architecture, a design structure matrix to model system dependencies and classical technical drawing exploded views for select subsystems. Modularization enables high adaptability, fostering potential adoption.
Findings
The fully open system enables unrestricted research, mirroring common industrial metal laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) systems. While “open” systems are available for purchase, they remain closed-source, lacking source code and technical drawings sharing, hindering contribution and co-development. The authors’ is the pioneering and sole open-source metal L-PBF system, boasting 1,500+ print hours. A series of industrial and academic adopters are currently implementing the system.
Originality/value
The open system, slicer software and controller offer unique process control, supporting multimaterial printing. The authors shared the design on the OpenAM GitHub page under the CERN-OHL-P v2 Open Source Hardware license. While it is functional for additive manufacturing (e.g. aluminum, tool steel, titanium and stainless steel), the entire process chain is actively evolving, ideal for co-development with the additive manufacturing community.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Poul Due Jensen Foundation for the financial support. This paper is the culmination of the results generated by the Open Additive Manufacturing Initiative (Grant no. 2018–017) at the Technical University of Denmark. The initiative aims to develop additive manufacturing publicly shared, open AM infrastructure, including physical hardware, system control electronics, accompanying firmware and software (including the slicer and job planner). Over the accumulated 25 research years of work, the initiative has contributed to the development of several systems, including Vat photopolymerization systems, a laser-based polymer PBF system and two metal L-PBF systems, where the 2nd version is discussed in this work.
Declaration of competing interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Data availability: System documentation is available on GitHub. Other data and documentation will be made available on request.
Citation
Kjer, M.B., Nadimpalli, V.K., Budden, C.L. and Pedersen, D.B. (2024), "Applying systems engineering principles to develop an open source laser based metal powder bed fusion system", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 30 No. 9, pp. 1911-1928. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-12-2023-0422
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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