Abstract Scope |
Digital materials, or Functionally Gradient Materials (FGMs), feature smooth transition from one material to another within a single object. Digital materials afford the engineer the ability to highly customize the properties of a single object by modifying the object’s material composition independently in different regions. For example, a particular region of the object might need an increased Young’s modulus, wear resistance, or thermal properties. This paper will present a framework for digital materials fabrication using the powder-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process. To achieve such a system, issues and some initial investigations will be discussed. To implement such digital materials fabrication, the digital materials will first need to be digitally modeled. To ensure the compatibility of digital materials, the analysis of material selection routes will need to be conducted. To ensure powder ratio consistency, some powder analysis is needed. |