FORMATION OF COMPOSITE LATTICE STRUCTURES BY HYBRID ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Date

2024-11-01

Author

Balta, Atalay

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This study investigates the electroplating of polyurethane (PU) lattice structures produced by additive manufacturing with the aim of optimizing electroplating parameters to improve their mechanical and surface properties. Various activation methods, including ionic and colloid palladium, along with direct current (DC) and pulse current (PC) plating, were applied to produce coupon samples. Adhesion strength and surface roughness were evaluated, and tensile test specimens from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) were used to study the effects of current type and density on tensile strength and hardness. Coating quality and distribution was analyzed by using optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was conducted to examine crystal structure of coatings. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations helped to develop an optimized anode-cathode configuration for uniform coating of lattice structures. This configuration was employed to produce 100µm thick coatings on lattice structures, which were subsequently subjected to compression testing to measure their load bearing capacities. The results highlight the critical role of surface metallization techniques, electroplating parameters, and anode configurations in producing consistent, high-quality coatings on complex geometries for lightweight, strong composite materials.

Subject Keywords

Metallization, Electroless Copper Plating, Electrolytic Nickel Plating, Palladium Activation, Pulse Plating

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/112960

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis