Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Civil/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Alfonso Pesqueira - New Mexico State University
Rapid prototyping has been growing and keeps on growing due to the convenience it brings when prototypes are needed. The material that is widely used to date for fabricating prototypes is pure Polylactic Acid (PLA). The reason being is the ease of adhesion to itself and the biodegradability it offers. Although it has high convenience, it still lacks in factors that other materials such as composites or metals offer. In the research being conducted, two homogeneous mixtures are being tested, one consisting of 20% PLA-80% Bronze, and the other consisting of 20% PLA-80% Copper. The specimen being tested qualifies as ASTM D638-14 Type (V) standard, and the method of fabrication for it is rapid prototyping through fused deposition modeling. The variables consist of: fan speed, material of filament, type of machine through the variation of parameters such as infill pattern and shell thickness, which are believed to have correlation to the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elasticity responses. Since homogeneous mixtures of bronze and copper are included, it is known that bronze has higher UTS but lower elasticity compared to copper. However copper has a lower UTS but greater elasticity, when compared to bronze. Using the given variables and desired responses, the theory is in the process of testing.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): USDA I-DISCOVER Grant Funded by the US Department of Agriculture for their support. Award #2014-38422-22078. National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture ?Wheels of Change Grant? Award #2015-38422-24112. I wish to thank Dr. Delia J. Valles-Rosales for this opportunity. I wish to thank Ivan Nieto and Mason Gregory for mentoring me through the completion of this project; I wish to thank the employees at the Innovation Space for helping with the 3D printing part of the project.
Faculty Advisor: Delia J. Valles-Rosales, dvalles@ad.nmsu.edu
Role: I am responsible for the entirety of this research with the help of Dr. Valles for giving me this opportunity, Ivan Nieto and Mason Gregory for mentoring me through the completion of the project, and the Innovation Space for helping with the 3D printing part of the project. I went through the rapid prototyping, tensile strength testing, and the statistical analysis of the project using some IE methods and software such as Minitab.