The team communicated with the manufacturer, Laser Welding Solutions, throughout the work period, as there had been ongoing manufacturing issues. The 1/20th section of the manifold has completed printing and will be post-machined due to rough surface finishes made with wire-arc additive manufacturing. Additionally, ⅔ of the validation plans for the plastic prototype have been completed.
Due to the unexpected manufacturing issues the team faced, the validation plan for the steel prototype has not yet been executed. As of April 9th, Laser Welding Solutions has completed the 1/20th section model, as shown in Figures 1-3 below. The team decided to complete validation on a plastic prototype at a 15% scale, depicted in Figure 4.
Figure 1: 1/20th side view Figure 2: 1/20th Back view Figure 3: 1/20th Top view
Figure 4: Split PLA prototype 15% scale
Table 1: Dimensional Validation Results (15% Scale)
Table 2: Flow Validation Results (15% Scale)
The dimensional accuracy and fluid flow rate were calculated for validation, and the results are shown in Tables 1 & 2 above. The margins of error are within the desired constraint of ⅛ - ¼ of an inch, resulting in a success.
For the steel prototype, post-machining will smooth off the rough surfaces. For the plastic prototype, the team will sand away any imperfections from manufacturing. Additionally, the team will complete validation on the plastic prototype by joining the three pieces together using bolts. The team expects to hear back from HMH soon regarding validating the steel prototype's hardness, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance.
Figure 5 shows the current draft of the team's technical poster. The validation is still ongoing, and the design may change before the final draft.
Figure 5: Tencical Poster Draft
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