Abstract:
Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming an increasingly viable method of producing parts for engineering applications. Individuals and small businesses often require small batches of parts, that can be made significantly less expensive and faster with AM compared to other manufacturing alternatives [3]. However, since the technology is relatively new, it has some aspects that could be improved as well. One of these aspects is the consistency of mechanical properties between parts. In AM, variation in the machine brand, material, and printing parameters can have a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the final part. This project focused on developing a quality control system that ensures parts meet certain mechanical property requirements. A device was created that is capable of characterizing the mechanical properties for every single part produced. Each part is printed with an additional tensile test specimen attached to it. These specimens are then placed into the device that uses a linear actuator to pull the sample until it breaks. A load cell and slide potentiometer are used to measure the load and displacement, respectively. The data can then be analysed to determine the ultimate tensile strength and the stiffness of the part. These values can then be compared to the nominal properties to determine whether the part is suitable for its intended design. The new device was found to be equally as accurate and precise as a standard tensile testing machine when measuring ultimate tensile strength.