Högskolan i Skövde

This thesis summarises the additive manufacturing technologies, presenting a literature review and a practical case study. The objectives are to investigate the additive manufacturing technologies, present a case involving a piston with its redesign and add recommendations for future work. First, there was a general study of this technology followed by more focused research on different aspects (sustainability, quality, materials and processes). This technology offers many benefits, such as minimal waste, reduction of tools required, more flexibility in the designs and customisation. The process chosen is decided by the complexity, material, size, and mechanical properties.The case study was chosen as an example of how this technology can be applied. A piston was modelled, redesigned and analysed in SolidWorks. The analysis of the redesigned piston confirms that it can work within the mechanical limits without hindering the performance. The redesigned piston shows a significant reduction in weight in comparison to the original piece, with a slight increase in stress. The manufacturing method chosen for this piece is powder bed fusion. This method was selected for the accuracy, surface finish and material compatibility. The piston is commonly made by a traditional method that can leave some defects, such as air entrapment or shrinkage porosity, but by additive manufacturing, the piston can be successfully built without these defects.