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Physical testing can only take us so far. New techniques in digital simulations enable us to experiment with every variable at play to guarantee the best desirable performance. This is the case, for example, when trying to pinpoint the reason for behind “material redistribution”, a phenomenon that leads to defects in printed metal parts. Simple observation and image recognition can only lead to partial understanding (although Nvidia’s GPUs have shown that huge strides have been made in that regard) as part of the reactions happen below the surface or in other unaccountable regions. Computer models of the system, coupled with high-speed monitoring of the same, can give unprecedented holistic vantage points when investigating these activities. Similarly, simulation can take researchers far in terms of understanding long-extinct animals’ behavior. Hydrodynamics, bone-structure, muscle arrangement, all this can be taken into account when determining the most plausible gaze for creatures that lived millions of years ago, in a system which can then be 3D printed and tested tangibly. Similarly, Canadian researchers want to take it a step further by merging AI simulation with manufacturing capabilities, creating a 3D printer which dissects a problem and finds the appropriate solution automatically.
Team finds reason behind defects in 3-D printing
In a study published by Scientific Reports , LLNL scientists combined ultrafast imaging of melt-pool dynamics with high-resolution simulations, finding that particles of liquid metal ejected from the laser’s path during the powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing (PBFAM) process—commonly called “spatter“—is caused by the entrainment of metal particles by an ambient gas flow, not from the laser’s recoil pressure, as previously believed.
Read more at Phys.org
University of Southampton 3D Printers Solve Million Year Old Flipper Mystery
To determine the swim-path of plesiosaur flippers Southampton researchers, alongside partners at the University of Bristol, 3D printed models based on the dimensions of a fossil skeleton. According to the supporting paper, experiments show “that plesiosaur hind flippers generated up to 60% more thrust and 40% higher efficiency when operating in harmony with their forward counterparts, when compared with operating alone.”
Read the fully article here.
Canadian Researchers in Pursuit of Artificially Intelligent 3D Printers
Edward Cyr’s research, funded by a McCain postdoctoral fellowship, aims to develop an AI system that will approach a problem and 3D print its solution after considering all the alternatives. Cyr acknowledged that a human problem solver would only be able to come up with an optimal design after testing thousands upon thousands of ideas.
A computer, on the other hand, “can actually model a total design space and tell us which one is the best, and it can even come up with things we might not even think of.”
Read the full article here.
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