Presenter: Joseph Spencer
Authors: Joseph Spencer, Colton Inkley
Faculty Advisor: Nathan Crane
Institution: Brigham Young University
Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing method that can be used to manufacture metal parts by injecting a binder into a bed of powder, and layer by layer forming a 3D object. Past studies have shown that the bottom layers of a part can be significantly rougher and dimensionally imprecise compared to later layers. To combat this, a heat lamp is used to dry layers and less binder is deposited in the initial layers. These two methods can help the part to have more uniform dimensions and reduce the surface roughness of the initial layers. To find optimal settings for reducing the roughness of thin parts, we examined different layer thicknesses of 35, 50, and 65 μm, and varying droplet spacings. Results showed that the judicious use of these conditions can produce a part with more uniform quality throughout. With further optimization, binder jetting has the potential to allow for production of very customizable metal parts.