SBO project with a primary economic finality aimed at the creation of a spin-off company: Hugh-Precision hybrid laser-based additive & subtractive manufacturing (Hi-PAS)

Within this project we will explore the capabilities of a beyond state-of-the-art hybrid laser-based additive and subtractive manufacturing platform. Here, the term “hybrid” refers to the combination of a laser-based additive manufacturing process with a Laser Beam Micro Machining (LBMM) process. The unique approach of combining both processes in a single state-of-the-art manufacturing unit paves the way to manufacture metallic components with an extended complexity and precision. The focus within this proposal is on creating a fundamental insight and physical understanding with respect to a set of key challenges, and also how they affect each other, within the scope of “hybrid manufacturing” of metallic components. Therefore, four interrelated key objectives are identified as main challenges within this proposal. More specifically: 1) investigate the potentiality to exceed the state-of-the-art of integrating an in-situ in-line and/or at-line metrology approach to measure the form geometry and surface roughness;
2) develop a robust closed-loop in-situ melt pool monitoring system;
3) the quantification of residual stresses in hybrid manufactured components by assessing the possibilities of integrating a non-invasive approach into the process chain in order to better understand the impact on the level of deformation and the final geometrical precision level;
4) create a deep fundamental insight on which process parameters affect the fatigue behavior and corrosion mechanisms of a printed and ablated surface. Through a rigorous approach we will create a fundamental insight on
these topics. The unique combination of the obtained knowledge with the available state-of-theart facilities is certainly a high fruitful potential to valorize the research through a spin-off activity.