COMBINING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WITH CFRP COMPOSITES: DESIGN POTENTIALS

Abstract

The combination of Additive Manufacturing (AM) with Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) unlocks potential in the design and development of highly integrated lightweight structures. This paper introduces two different design potentials, where the combination of AM and CFRP can lead to better and lighter hybrid structures: First, Load Introductions often show complex superimposed loads and therefore lightweight metal alloys become a valuable alternative to CFRP. With AM, load-oriented designs that provide a more continuous introduction of the load into the fibers become possible. Secondly, tooling for complex composite structures is expensive and laborious. Here, inner tooling with AM can offer potentials in the design and development of complex-shaped composite parts. Within this paper, the potentials are highlighted by a case study that consists of the development of a Hydraulically actuated Quadruped robot (HyQ) leg. Based on the case study, the need for fundamental research in the design and processing of structures with AM and CFRP is pointed out in order to pave the way for its use in future high performance technological applications.