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This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming and powder metallurgy are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on the subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for the last five years, and more than 1100 references are listed.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The purpose of this study is the development of a global SLM-manufacturing optimization strategy taking into account material porosity and SLM process productivity. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a master forming process generating not only a near net shape geometry, but also the material with its properties. Research focuses primarily on optimal processing parameters for maximised material properties. However, the process allows also designing the material structure by internal porosity, affecting global material properties and the process productivity.

The study investigates the influence of the main SLM process parameters on material porosity and consequently on the static mechanical properties of hardened SS17-4PH material. Furthermore, a model for the SLM scanning productivity is developed based on the SLM processing parameters.

The results show a clear correlation between porosity level and mechanical properties. Thereby, the mechanical strength and material modulus can be varied in a wide range. The degree of internal material porosity can be correlated to the energy input defined by a set of SLM processing parameters, such as Laser power, powder layer thickness and scan speed, allowing pre-definition of a specific degree of porosity.

Aligning of the SLM processing parameters to the technical material requirements of the parts to be produced, e.g. maximal stresses in service, required E-modulus or lightweight aspects, enlarges the general design space significantly. In combination with the presented model for the scanning productivity, it is further possible to optimize the SLM build rate.

This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming, powder metallurgy and composite material processing are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on these subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE researchers/users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for 1994‐1996, where 1,370 references are listed. This bibliography is an updating of the paper written by Brannberg and Mackerle which has been published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 11 No. 5, 1994, pp. 413‐55.

Examines the fourteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The debate about whether any difference exists between manufacturing and service operations is discussed. There is no difference per se between the two types of operation and that debate about differences between them is spurious. There are significant differences between operating systems which process materials and those which deal directly with customers. These differences are sufficient to require different treatment for material processing operations and customer processing operations. The similarities and differences between the two types of system are demonstrated, and strategies for managing customer processing operations are outlined. If an appropriate strategy is adopted, customer processing operations are very similar to material processing operations, but other strategies exist which make customer processing operations very different from material processing operations.

Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Discusses the 6th ITCRR, its breadth of textile and clothing research activity, plus the encouragement given to workers in this field and its related areas. States that, within the newer research areas under the microscope of the community involved, technical textiles focuses on new, ‘smart’ garments and the initiatives in this field in both the UK and the international community at large. Covers this subject at length.

The purpose of this paper is a feasibility study that was performed to investigate the basic processability of a diamond-containing metal matrix. Powder-bed-based additive manufacturing processes such as selective laser melting (SLM) offer a huge degree of freedom, both in terms of part design and material options. In that respect, mixtures of different powders can offer new ways for the manufacture of materials with tailored properties for special applications such as metal-based cutting or grinding tools with incorporated hard phases.

A two-step approach was used to first investigate the basic SLM-processability of a Cu-Sn-Ti-Zr alloy, which is usually used for the active brazing of ceramics and superhard materials. After the identification of a suitable processing window, the processing parameters were then applied to a mixture of this matrix material with 10-20 volume per cent artificial, Ni-coated mono-crystalline diamonds.

Even though the processing parameters were not yet optimized, stable specimens out of the matrix material could be produced. Also, diamond-containing mixtures with the matrix material resulted in stable specimens, where the diamonds survived the layer-wise build process with the successive heat input, as almost no graphitization was observed. The diamond particles are fully embedded in the Cu-Sn-Ti-Zr matrix material. The outer part of the diamonds partly dissolves in the matrix during the SLM process, forming small TiC particles and most likely a thin TiC layer around the diamond particles.

The feasibility study approved the SLM processing capabilities of a metal-diamond composite. Although some cracking phenomena sill occur, this seems to be an interesting and promising way to create new abrasive tools with added value in terms of internal and local lubrication supply, tooling temperature control and improved tooling durability.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly evolving manufacturing process, which refers to a set of technologies that add materials layer-by-layer to create functional components. AM technologies have received an enormous attention from both academia and industry, and they are being successfully used in various applications, such as rapid prototyping, tooling, direct manufacturing and repair, among others. AM does not necessarily imply building parts, as it also refers to innovation in materials, system and part designs, novel combination of properties and interplay between systems and materials. The most exciting features of AM are related to the development of radically new systems and materials that can be used in advanced products with the aim of reducing costs, manufacturing difficulties, weight, waste and energy consumption. It is essential to develop an advanced production system that assists the user through the process, from the computer-aided design model to functional components. The challenges faced in the research and development and operational phase of producing those parts include requiring the capacity to simulate and observe the building process and, more importantly, being able to introduce the production changes in a real-time fashion. This paper aims to review the role of robotics in various AM technologies to underline its importance, followed by an introduction of a novel and intelligent system for directed energy deposition (DED) technology.

AM presents intrinsic advantages when compared to the conventional processes. Nevertheless, its industrial integration remains as a challenge due to equipment and process complexities. DED technologies are among the most sophisticated concepts that have the potential of transforming the current material processing practices.

The objective of this paper is identifying the fundamental features of an intelligent DED platform, capable of handling the science and operational aspects of the advanced AM applications. Consequently, we introduce and discuss a novel robotic AM system, designed for processing metals and alloys such as aluminium alloys, high-strength steels, stainless steels, titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, nickel-based superalloys and other metallic alloys for various applications. A few demonstrators are presented and briefly discussed, to present the usefulness of the introduced system and underlying concept. The main design objective of the presented intelligent robotic AM system is to implement a design-and-produce strategy. This means that the system should allow the user to focus on the knowledge-based tasks, e.g. the tasks of designing the part, material selection, simulating the deposition process and anticipating the metallurgical properties of the final part, as the rest would be handled automatically.

This paper reviews a few AM technologies, where robotics is a central part of the process, such as vat photopolymerization, material jetting, binder jetting, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, DED and sheet lamination. This paper aims to influence the development of robot-based AM systems for industrial applications such as part production, automotive, medical, aerospace and defence sectors.

The presented intelligent system is an original development that is designed and built by the co-authors J. Norberto Pires, Amin S. Azar and Trayana Tankova.