The PLATFORM project aim is to develop a platform to enable the cost-effective and efficient finishing of metal powder-bed AM components, and providing a cloud-based marketplace through which the platform can be delivered. The key objectives in achieving this are:
- To provide an optimised CAM package (CloudNCfAM) for dedicated optimised finishing of AM components.
- To provide a modular work holding system to allow optimal scanning and machining strategies to be employed.
- To provide a cloud-based service network multi-sided marketplace for delivery of the CloudNCfAM CAM software and post-processing operations (PLATFORM).
- To demonstrate the PLATFORM capability in an industrially relevant environment and to benchmark the process capability against existing processes.
To achieve these objectives, the key areas of research are:
- Developing a CAM package to enable i) automated input and interrogation of complex
- CT-derived geometrical representations of powder-bed component builds; ii) automated assessment of machinability of the support structure and component, iii) automated optimised roughing and finishing toolpath generation.
- Developing a modular work holding system that will be rapidly reconfigurable, allowing the optimal CT-scanning and CNC machining of the component, and integration of this hardware with the CloudNCfAM CAM software to provide intelligent build-configuration information to the AM provider through the cloud-based marketplace.
- Developing a multi-sided marketplace, based on the existing 3D printer network, and developed at UoW to exploit the new business models afforded by 3D Printing and enabling distributed manufacturing.
- Validation of the PLATFORM both in-house, through the UoW AM, CT and CNC facilities and through engagement with a cohort of evaluation end-users.
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