Who is involved in the LE-FLM project?
Project management: Prof Dr Stefan Hierl
Employees: Felix Weiß, David Seidl
What is your research project about?
This project involves the targeted further development of plastic 3D printing: A diode laser is integrated into an FLM print head and heats the component surface exactly where the next plastic strand is subsequently deposited. This allows the individual layers to bond together better, making the component more stable and resilient. Initial tests are already showing promising results: The internal structure of the printed components improves significantly. On this basis, a pre-competitive prototype is now being developed to further qualify the laser-assisted FLM process and make it usable for future applications.
What excites you about the project?
I am thrilled that an initially vague idea has gradually become a functioning prototype - and that the technology actually shows the potential to significantly increase strength in the direction of pressure. I am particularly impressed by the passion and precision with which scientists and students are working on this future technology in the laser laboratory.
How can the findings from the project be applied in practice?
The results of the project will result in a concrete technological advantage: they will be directly incorporated into the next generation of printers from our industrial partner CR-3D. These systems will be designed to additively manufacture functional components that can withstand high mechanical loads - and thus overcome a key weakness of classic FDM printing: the direction-dependent component strength. The result is more efficient, more reliable and more industrially usable 3D-printed plastic components.
Answers from Prof Dr Stefan Hierl, OTH Regensburg
On our website you will find an overview of the current funding projects at OTH Regensburg.
