A ROBUST PROCESS FOR THE PRECISION FINISHING OF PIECES ORIGINATED BY METALLIC PRINTING

Abstract

The additive manufacturing industry has developed significantly, which includes metal printing techniques; with a wide range of applications, great projections and future expectations. Technologies such as SLM or LMD have gone from being considered as a rapid prototyping process to consolidating in a primary manufacturing process Despite the great advances made in metal printing, there are still aspects of quality, dimensional and finish that require the need for subsequent actions to metallic printing (thermal treatments, subtractive manufacturing) for the scope of structural integrity and dimensions definitive This paper presents a methodology based on the robust design approach, which allows to integrate the main hybrid process with 4 support processes for the control of performance metrics and the mitigation of the effects of noise factors through the strategic use of the controllable factors under a predictive, preventive and technical approach. A case study is presented where the phase of the vibration control applied to a type of elbowed ducts is analyzed, which allows to obtain an adequate tendency of the type and location of fixation system that leads to improve the quality of the finishing. Keywords: SLM, machining, geometric distortion, dimensional control, heat treatment, robust design