HP INCFollow

Abstract

The process of connecting parts to form a single body is needed when the components have different

materials or when it has been impossible to manufacture the final part in a sole and continuous body. This

process is common in the 3D printing world as the size of the parts that can be printed is limited to the

machine capabilities, and nowadays these are very limited compared to the traditional manufacturing

methods. In powder‐based 3D printing technologies, splitting parts into several components might also

be a convenient strategy to improve the unfused powder removal process or to improve the nesting and

positioning of the parts inside the build chamber. The union method described in this article provides a

strong joint, that doesn't require any postprocessing after the printing process, that doesn’t require any

tooling and that the tightening accessory can be removed to obtain a neat union. This method intends to

reduce the assembly time, helps the operator doing the job and takes advantages of the design freedom

in 3D printing. This idea can also greatly improve the process of other union techniques such as adhesive

bonding, where good positioning of the parts is needed and pressure must be applied until the adhesive

has cured.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS