Automated processes instead of manual postprocessing
Intermediate meeting at TC Hutthurm in the project "AutoClean" with thinkTEC 3D GmbH, SHL AG, Campus Cham
29.3.2023 | TC Hutthurm
Automated, universal, resource-saving: This is what the future of powder-based 3D printing should look like.
To make this happen, we are working together on the AutoClean project to develop an AI-based, fully automated
sorting and cleaning process for additively manufactured components as well as an integrated quality control system.
One advantage of the 3D printing process in the powder bed is that complex components of various sizes and geometries can be produced there in a single manufacturing process. However, until the finished component is produced, the adhering powder must be removed through various, predominantly manual post-processing steps.
The current process flow is very time-consuming and expensive. This is where the AutoClean project comes in:
- Automated processes instead of manual post-processing -.
At the Hutthurm Technology Campus, the post-processing line is first created and tested virtually to support the implementation of a real system.
The SHL company is developing an innovative gripping system that can safely handle components of any geometry and size. In order to be able to link individual stations and identify components, intelligent robotics applications are being programmed and tested at the Cham campus. For the individual cleaning of different components, a modular cleaning technology is to be developed in cooperation with thinkTec 3D. The implementation is supported at the Hutthurm Campus by a cleaning simulation, which virtually maps the process and can test different designs of the manufacturing parameters.
Tasks such as quality inspection and sorting are to be performed by an artificial intelligence in the future. To this end, a neural network is being trained at the Hutthurm campus so that it can recognize components and surface cleanliness as well as detect defects. The first prototype of the post-processing station is expected in early 2024.
Bild (TC Hutthurm): AutoClean" project team visits TC Hutthurm: thinkTEC 3D GmbH, SHL AG, Campus Cham, TC Hutthurm