BITS Faculty Publications
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Item Integration of design for manufacturing methods with topology optimization in additive manufacturing(ASME, 2017) Ranjan, RajitAdditive manufacturing (AM) processes are used to fabricate complex geometries using a layer-by-layer material deposition technique. These processes are recognized for creating complex shapes which are difficult to manufacture otherwise and enable designers to be more creative with their designs. However, as AM is still in its developing stages, relevant literature with respect to design guidelines for AM is not readily available. This paper proposes a novel design methodology which can assist designers in creating parts that are friendly to additive manufacturing. The research includes formulation of design guidelines by studying the relationship between input part geometry and AM process parameters. Two cases are considered for application of the developed design guidelines. The first case presents a feature graph-based design improvement method in which a producibility index (PI) concept is introduced to compare AM friendly designs. This method is useful for performing manufacturing validation of pre-existing designs and modifying it for better manufacturability through AM processes. The second approach presents a topology optimization-based design methodology which can help designers in creating entirely new lightweight designs which can be manufactured using AM processes with ease. Application of both these methods is presented in the form of case studies depicting design evolution for increasing manufacItem Octree data structure for support accessibility and removal analysis in additive manufacturing(Elsevier, 2018-08) Ranjan, RajitMetal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes have made it possible to build parts with complex geometric features by adopting a layer-by-layer approach. However, additional support structures are needed to support overhanging surfaces and reduce distortion that may occur in these parts. This increases the overall build time of the part and leads to additional post processing efforts for removal of support structures. Often, removal of these supports becomes difficult due to complex part features that may interfere with support removal. Further, support structures have a detrimental effect on the surface finish on the areas of the part that come in contact with the supports. Thus, minimizing the need for support structures and ensuring its maximum removal is essential for an efficient part build in AM. Part build orientation is the main parameter that influences the need for support structures to build a part. This paper presents an approach to identify the best build orientation for a part such that the overall part build time is minimized while ensuring maximum removal of supports and minimizing the contact area between the part surface and supports. A hierarchical octree data structure has been used to analyze support accessibility and the area of support in contact with part. In addition, this paper also focuses on identification of optimal number/direction of part set-ups required to remove the maximum possible support structures from a part. A 2D setup map highlighting the feasible directions of setups for support removal has also been presented. The results of these analyses have been presented with the help of four sample parts.Item Improving the manufacturability of metal AM parts(Mikroniek, 2019) Ranjan, RajitNumerous challenges of additive manufacturing (AM) are tackled in the European Horizon 2020 project PAM^2 by studying and linking every step of the AM process cycle. For example, PAM^2 researchers from the design, processing and application side have collaborated in this work to optimise the manufacturability of metal AM parts using an improved Topology Optimisation (TO) approach, including a thermal constraint. Additionally, the project is focusing on modelling, post-processing, in- and post-process quality control and industrial assessment of AM parts, with the aim of moving beyond the state-of-the-art of precision metal AM.Item Topology optimisation techniques(CRC Press, 2020) Ranjan, RajitThis chapter presents topology optimisation techniques suitable for designing parts that will be produced by additive manufacturing, with special attention to precision aspects. First, challenges associated with ‘design for additive manufacturing’ are briefly discussed. Next, an introduction to density-based topology optimisation is given. Specific additive manufacturing limitations relevant for high-technology precision parts are summarised and topology optimisation methods which address these limitations are described. Specifically, critical overhang elimination, overheating prevention and distortion reduction are considered. The industrial relevance of these additive manufacturing–friendly topology optimisation methods are demonstrated through case studies. Finally, an outlook on the current research trends is given and challenges ahead are highlighted.Item Fast detection of heat accumulation in powder bed fusion using computationally efficient thermal models(MDPI, 2020) Ranjan, RajitThe powder bed fusion (PBF) process is a type of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique which enables fabrication of highly complex geometries with unprecedented design freedom. However, PBF still suffers from manufacturing constraints which, if overlooked, can cause various types of defects in the final part. One such constraint is the local accumulation of heat which leads to surface defects such as melt ball and dross formation. Moreover, slow cooling rates due to local heat accumulation can adversely affect resulting microstructures. In this paper, first a layer-by-layer PBF thermal process model, well established in the literature, is used to predict zones of local heat accumulation in a given part geometry. However, due to the transient nature of the analysis and the continuously growing domain size, the associated computational cost is high which prohibits part-scale applications. Therefore, to reduce the overall computational burden, various simplifications and their associated effects on the accuracy of detecting overheating are analyzed. In this context, three novel physics-based simplifications are introduced motivated by the analytical solution of the one-dimensional heat equation. It is shown that these novel simplifications provide unprecedented computational benefits while still allowing correct prediction of the zones of heat accumulation. The most far-reaching simplification uses the steady-state thermal response of the part for predicting its heat accumulation behavior with a speedup of 600 times as compared to a conventional analysis. The proposed simplified thermal models are capable of fast detection of problematic part features. This allows for quick design evaluations and opens up the possibility of integrating simplified models with design optimization algorithms.Item Overheating control in additive manufacturing using a 3D topology optimization method and experimental validation(Elsevier, 2023-01) Ranjan, RajitOverheating is a major issue especially in metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, leading to poor surface quality, lack of dimensional precision, inferior performance and/or build failures. A 3D density-based topology optimization (TO) method is presented which addresses the issue of local overheating during metal AM. This is achieved by integrating a simplified AM thermal model and a thermal constraint within the optimization loop. The simplified model, recently presented in literature, offers significant computational gains while preserving the ability of overheating detection. The novel thermal constraint ensures that the overheating risk of optimized designs is reduced. This is fundamentally different from commonly used geometry-based TO methods which impose a geometric constraint on overhangs. Instead, the proposed approach takes the process physics into account. The proposed method is validated via an experimental comparative study. Optical tomography (OT) is used for in-situ monitoring of process conditions during fabrication and obtained data is used for evaluation of overheating tendencies. The novel TO method is compared with two other methods: standard TO and TO with geometric overhang control. The experimental data reveals that the novel physics-based TO design experienced less overheating during the build as compared to the two classical designs. A study further investigated the correlation between overheating observed by high OT values and the defect of porosity. It shows that overheated regions indeed show higher defect of porosity. This suggests that geometry-based guidelines, although enhance printability, may not be sufficient for eliminating overheating issues and related defects. Instead, the proposed physics-based method is able to deliver efficient designs with reduced risk of overheating.