Design for additive manufacturing of an automotive reaction rod in polymeric composite material

The aim of the proposed thesis is to redesign an automotive component in Additive Manufacturing (AM) and polymeric composite material, who historically was produced with the traditional subtractive process and aluminium alloy. This work can be defined a challenge, due to the characteristics of component which is taken in account. It was initiated with a review of additive manufacturing process and technology, with particular attention to the application in automotive field. An accurate research has been carried out on additive manufacturing technology for composite materials, with focus on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and on composite materials able to withstands high loads applied at reaction rod. From the data in the literature it was decided to take into consideration the WindForm XT2.0 which is a composite polyamide-based material carbon filled, used in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). Therefore, we moved on to the redesign of the original component by making changes to introduce a bonding between the reaction rod and the main bushing, instead of force-fitted between them. The redesign was carried out according to the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). Solidworks was used as CAD, while INSPIRE and HyperMesh, with their solver OptiStruct, for analysis and subsequent topological optimization. In conclusion, it was noted that the new reaction rod is capable of support loads. However, it is necessary that the component be tested in the laboratory with tensile tests and temperatures close to those of the engine bay in order to prove its effective strength. As future scenarios, other composite polymeric materials that can withstand engine compartment temperatures and can be used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology could be considered.