Additive manufacturing redesigning of metallic parts for high precision machines

The conventional approach to design and manufacturing often has geometries with an efficient material distribution. For the high-precision machines, that approach involves the design of heavy components that guarantees the stiffness requirements. However, the higher the weight of the part, the higher inertia it has. As a result, when the feed axes are accelerated, the inertial forces deform the machine components and the precision of the machine is reduced. This study investigated the designing for additive manufacturing (DfAM) and designing for assembly (DfA) to increase the material efficiency of components for high-precision applications. A new methodology which considered the design and manufacturing issues and machining as well is given. A comprehensive model for cost evaluation of the part is presented. The case study refers to the rails and the bracket that support and move the flying probe of a testing machine for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The weight of the rails has been decreased by 32% and the components to be assembled have been reduced from 16 to 7. The optimized bracket is more than 50% stiffer than the original one, 10% lighter, and economically competitive.