Case Study
UBC x Rapidia
Accelerating Office-Friendly Metal 3D Printing Innovation
The University of British Columbia uses Rapidia’s office-friendly 3D printer and furnace to advance research & industrial applications.
Summary
The University of British Columbia is at the forefront of manufacturing research and education in Canada. After a decade of experience working with automotive and heavy equipment manufacturers, Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah in the Mechanical Engineering department at UBC is identifying new opportunities for metal additive manufacturing. Equipped with the Rapidia System, his research investigates the intersection between optimization and standardization while focusing on key applications that include lightweighting and acoustic emission testing. Simultaneously used for education and research purposes, the Rapidia System has become an advantageous tool to attract talent and forge industrial partnerships.
“With the Rapidia technology, we can build lighter weight structural components that have identical or even greater strength properties than conventional manufacturing process.”
Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia
About Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah
An expert in solid mechanics, dynamics and vibration testing, Dr. Mohammadpanah has spent his early professional career engaged in a variety of R&D projects. Formerly a scientist at the Department of Smart Manufacturing for FPInnovations, Dr. Mohammadpanah invented and developed unique temperature sensors designed to improve the next generation of lumber manufacturing. The temperature of a circular saw can be measured using a contact wireless temperature sensor. The saw temperature is a very important parameter to identify issues during cutting, determine the amount of water for cooling, the gaps between cuts, and monitor the behavior of a saw.
“Additive manufacturing redefines what is possible for so many industries,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “By embracing this technology, we’ve been able to design components that are impossible to produce any other way.” Four years later, Dr. Mohammadpanah is now responsible for several new products and temperature sensor patents focused on optimizing industrial saws, guides and other devices used for equipment monitoring. Additive manufacturing played a pivotal role in the product development process.
Following FPInnovations, Dr. Mohammadpanah entered the automobile manufacturing market and was responsible for optimizing suspension systems for passenger vehicles. Focused on evaluating the vehicle chassis for vibration and system dynamics, his passion for additive manufacturing and machine learning only increased. Now, his research is dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence for smart manufacturing and focuses on how designing for AM will collectively create new products capable of better performance. As a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering department at UBC, Dr. Mohammadpanah has the tools and technologies to accelerate his research and promote metal additive manufacturing for industrial use with the Rapidia System.
“One of my active projects (shown here) involves methods to evaluate a metal-printed part in terms of its strength, hardness, toughness, and fatigue life. I use different techniques (AE sensors) to check the physical and mechanical properties of a printed part,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah.
Research and Advanced Applications
The inherent value of metal additive manufacturing is the ability to design complex structures that are otherwise impossible or too expensive to produce with conventional methods. Advancements in technologies, processes and materials have led to new applications that are driving industrial leaders to challenge the manufacturing status quo. Product developers, supply chain managers, manufacturing engineers and researchers are continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with metal AM. At the University of British Columbia, Dr. Mohammadpanah is leveraging his professional experience and maximizing the Rapidia System to enhance AM industrialization.
“We need to see how the technology evolves, but we are optimistic that it will become a common manufacturing process,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “To achieve this, we are strategically focused on two immediate objectives; (1) Taking advantage of the unique capabilities of AM processes which provide great design freedom to use in lightweight structures and topology optimization. (2) evaluating a metal-printed part in terms of its physical and mechanical properties using different techniques such as AE (Acoustic Emission) or other sensors...” Successful research in these particular areas of interest may have significant impacts to aerospace, automotive and heavy equipment industries.
What are the implications of industrial lightweighting? Car manufacturers are familiar with additive manufacturing and have embraced the technology as a rapid prototyping tool. While this is a successful approach, it is not necessarily revolutionary. However, Dr. Mohammadpanah believes that custom manufacturing for select parts within the vehicle frame could lead to major cost savings.
“Additive manufacturing redefines what is possible for so many industries. By embracing this technology, we‘ve been able to design components that are impossible to produce any other way.“
Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia
“With the Rapidia technology, we can build lighter weight structural components that have identical or even greater strength properties than conventional manufacturing processes.” As the next generation of automobile manufacturers contemplate the future of electrification and new product development, metal AM may become an invaluable manufacturing tool.
How are acoustic emissions (AE) sensors used to evaluate the physical or mechanical properties of a printed part? AE testing is a non-destructive testing technique used to assess the structural integrity of a part. For metal additive manufacturing, this is a very important topic that continues to get increased exposure due to the fast-paced technological improvements in metal AM. The standards that exist today are incomplete, and manufacturers are hesitant to adopt these technologies due to density and porosity concerns. Rapidia addresses these concerns head-on.
“We want to give industry the confidence to produce parts with metal AM,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “With the Rapidia System printer, we have had success printing heat exchangers with improved functionality.”
While the research continues at UBC, Rapidia has published results of high-density parts in line with metal injection molding. The development of high-performance heat exchangers that embrace design complexity with AM will pave a path for aerospace and heavy equipment engineers to customize radiators, engine exhaust manifolds and other super critical components. This has the potential to drastically reduce fuel consumption, emissions and pollution.
In an experiment, Dr. Mohammadpanah designed a simple method to test the efficiency of heat exchanging for a small device with an internal optimum gyroid structure, made from Aluminum-Bronze alloy. “We 3D printed 15 systems with the internal gyroid structure and compared their heat transfer coefficient with a standard system that had no internal structure.”
The image to the left is one example of the printed parts (the 4th image down is one sample after being cut in half for inspection). The experiment confirmed the efficiency of the internal gyroid structure, with a 15% improvement in the mean heat transfer coefficient.
“We envision so many new applications. Leightweighting can lead to more efficient assembly lines or automation assistance technologies that make production facilities safer and smarter.”
Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia
Rapidia System at the University of British Columbia
The UBC Mechanical Engineering department produces stainless steel parts from the Rapidia System, operating with a 0.4mm nozzle. The image below represents two recently printed parts, (left) 3 inch diameter and (right) 2.5 inch diameter that took approximately 2 hours to print. The post printing process requires a sintering furnace that is capable of loading multiple models on four different shelves. The sintering cycle times easily deliver next day parts. The large sintering furnace unit is advantageous when it comes to processing many student models. For example, Dr. Mohammadpanah will print an entire class submission of models and have them available within 48 hours for review. Sintering is the final step of the process with no additional finishing required.
It’s important to note that when compared to conventional CNC machining, the cost and time to produce simple models with metal additive manufacturing is relatively high. The value comes with the ability to design custom and complex models that are impossible with subtractive manufacturing methods. Due to this fact, Dr. Mohammadpanah encourages his students to think outside the box and design without limitations.
“It‘s super easy to use, especially for an environment like ours in education. We don‘t have messy chemicals... It goes directly from the printer to the furnace. That is something I love about this machine. The learning curve is just a few hours for somebody already familiar with plastic printing.”
Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia
Talent Acquisition & Industry Collaboration
According to Dr. Mohammadpanah, many of his students are familiar with polymer 3D printing and can quickly adapt to the Rapidia System due to its user-friendly operation and interface. This is uncommon in metal additive manufacturing, but is certainly an attractive benefit when it comes to talent recruitment and industry collaboration. “Students see career opportunities in their future,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah, “and many industrial players know the potential to participate with UBC.” MANU 465, a course offered at UBC, focuses on application of artificial intelligence in advanced manufacturing, such as AM. This class has gained popularity from outside contributors and having access to the Rapidia System only increases the opportunities for new collaborations.
“Industry wants assistance to create standards and approved processes with metal AM,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “They see limitations with conventional technologies, and recognize the potential with metal AM. Customization, topology optimization, part performance, etc.” The Rapidia System is an affordable piece of machinery that is easy to use and produces high quality parts ready for testing and qualification. The Water-Based Paste technology enables faster processing times and less hassle for students and partners. The research previously published proves low porosity and high-density materials for real world applications, and this is only the beginning.
The Future of Rapidia at UBC
“I have been impressed with the level of support we have received from Rapidia,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “They are always available and receptive to feedback. It’s a true partnership that will enable us to go further with our research.” The company has relied on the invaluable relationships made within academia and remains steady in its quest to cultivate transparency within the industry. This commitment gives UBC the confidence to expand their programs and address other manufacturing opportunities.
“We envision so many new applications. Lightweighting can lead to more efficient assembly lines or automation assistance technologies that make production facilities safer and smarter,” says Dr. Mohammadpanah. “With new material developments by Rapidia, maybe we can identify ways to combine materials and safely sinter them.
”While the incoming class prepares for the next semester, Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpanah is already making arrangements to push the technology further than ever before. The Rapidia System is simply a tool, but it becomes so much more when forward-thinking researchers like Dr. Mohammadpanah are willing to partner and collaborate for collective success. “If we can work together,” he said, “then I can confidently say that we can produce anything.”