Graduate Student
Jeremy is developing methods to optimize the design of 3D metal printed parts. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is a new technology that can be utilized to create structures that cannot be produced by traditional machining processes. Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing that removes material to produce a component, additive manufacturing produces parts by adding successive layers. In subtractive manufacturing, cost of a part increases with the amount of material removed due to increased labor time. There is a tradeoff between part cost and part weight. The opposite is true for additive manufacturing – the reducing part weight reduces raw material cost, labor cost, processing time, and weight. As a result, employing topology optimization methods to reduce part weight also reduces cost. Jeremy Smith successfully defended his thesis to use ANSYS finite elements analysis (FEA) and topology optimization software to optimize the design of a 3D metal printed bicycle crank arm. He also employed Design for Metal additive manufacturing guidelines to improve the manufacturability of the design prior to printing. Overall, he achieved a 41% weight reduction and associated cost savings with the new design while maintaining the components ability to carry a load.
