Exploiting Material Potential in Design for Additive Manufacturing
Co-Chairs: Nicholas Meisel, Serena Graziosi, Tino Stankovic
Invited speaker and co-organizer: Zjenja Dubrovski
The range of materials that can be processed via Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies is expanding rapidly, from polymers to metals, as well as advanced composites and bio-based materials. AM’s “free” material complexity enables two or more materials to be simultaneously processed and varied locally within a single structure. This enables designs to leverage the concepts of functionally graded materials and architected materials, which have already gained significant attention in many research communities and fields of application. Breakthrough solutions to technical problems can be achieved by exploiting the unconventional properties and functionalities of such materials produced via AM. The design engineer can now not only select a material but also contribute to the design of new material properties. However a range of questions remain:
• How is this evolution of AM materials influencing the design process of new products and systems?
• How can design engineers be supported in exploiting the possibility of designing new materials’ properties and functionalities?
• Do we need to re-think the design of technical products and systems in terms of the design of materials for additive manufacturing?
• How should the education of next-generation design engineers evolve in light of these new material design possibilities?
By discussing the answers to these questions, the workshop investigated how the innovation of AM materials influences the design process, as well as how it changes the way design engineers should consider DfAM. Participants were invited to share their experiences on the use of AM materials and processes and to reflect on how these advancements will influence the engineering design field in the future.
The workshop took place on:
Monday, 26/Oct/2020:
in the Workshop D114 session (1:00pm - 4:00pm)
@DESIGN 2020 conference, October 26th – 29th 2020