Two exciting presentations from industry and research await you at the 14th MID Day on May 15, 2024. The online event starts at 4 PM (CEST) and is open to everyone free of charge.
First, Mr. Kok Siong Siah from the Chair of FAPS (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg) will give the lecture “Additive printed heating structure for radome de-icing applications”. This presentation explores the potential of additive piezo-jet printing for functionalizing an empty radome with a heating structure to remove snow or ice formed during winter and enable optimal radar signal transmission. In contrast to conventional methods involving coatings or embedded wires, additive printing processes offer advantages in flexibility and adaptability for complex 2D and 3D geometries. Two inks, namely CP-009 from Novacentrix (copper ink) and LOCTITE® ECI1011 from Henkel (silver ink), are under scrutiny. The silver heating structure emerges as a promising candidate for de-icing applications of radomes, with consistent morphology, low resistance, fast heating rate, and homogeneous temperature distribution, suggesting seamless integration into radar systems. However, the copper heating structure still faces challenges in processing and compatibility with respect to dissipation losses within the supply voltage range of 9 to 16 V. This contribution will extensively discuss the feasibility of the additive piezo-jet printing process for functionalizing radomes in radar applications, covering various aspects of manufacturing, heating performance, and modeling of dynamic heating behavior through transient thermal simulations.
Image: Piezo jet printing system from Neotech AMT (right), 2x images from thermography (top left and center left) and 1x height profile of the printed lines from laser scan (bottom left); Source: Chair of FAPS (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg)
Alexander Schmidt from Siemens AG will then give a presentation entitled “Systematic Qualification of Layer Thickness, Roundness and Defects of Screen-printed Magnetic Sheets for Stator Cores”.
In the EffiBlech research project, the Chair FAPS is working with Siemens Technology to investigate the potential of additive manufacturing for the resource-efficient production and energy-efficient operation of electrical machines. For high-performance applications in high-speed industrial motors or traction machines for electromobility, iron losses are critical to success. These can be significantly reduced by using printed magnetic sheets with lower sheet thicknesses and modified material properties. This is a multi-stage process consisting of paste production, flatbed screen printing, debinding and sintering as well as stacking and packaging of the sheet pack. As part of the 14th MID Day, Alexander Schmidt, a member of the Chair FAPS and development engineer at Siemens Technology, will present the latest research findings in flatbed screen printing using a Six Sigma project to increase the quality of green parts by systematically varying relevant screen printing parameters.
