Project Contribution to the LIGHTer Program Goals
There is an industrial need for a wider range of printable materials for light-weight applications. To improve the performance of components produced by AM these alloys need to be both printable and fulfill tough requirements on mechanical properties. The project will contribute to accelerated development of Al-alloys for AM, enabling the optimization of materials in addition to topology optimization for weight reduction. The project results will primarily contribute to the innovation theme 2 “lighter with a shorter development time” as the number of design iterations and the number of required prototypes is reduced by the Materials by Design®-approach. In extension, the project may also contribute to theme 1 “lighter with lower cost” and theme 4 “lighter with improved properties” for certain applications through an increase in material variety. For the feasibility study the project will cover TRL 3, whereas in a full-scale project we would aim towards TRL 4-5. The feasibility of computationally designed Al-alloys for AM will be demonstrated by printing small test specimen of compositions to verify the modelling and design. If successful, this feasibility study is intended to be continued as a full-scale project that may greatly increase the partners capabilities and the development rate of new materials for industrial application of metal AM.
Project partners
RISE IVF AB
QuesTek Europe AB
Höganäs AB
