inspire AG

Shaping bio-inspired functional surfaces with Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) Natural surfaces exhibit remarkable properties like the hydrophobicity of lotus leaves and the antifouling characteristics of seashells. The latest laser technology aims to replicate these nature-inspired surface structures, equipping technical products with these innovative properties.   Self-cleaning solar panels, de-icing airplane wings and antibacterial scalpels or implants are examples of products benefiting from bio-inspired laser surface structures. However, research and industry face two primary challenges in this area: 1.     Scalability: The slow texturing speed makes functionalization costly. 2.     Physical limitations: Conventional laser writing struggles to produce surface textures in the nanometre range. Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) addresses both challenges effectively. By interfering multiple laser beamlets to create intensity patterns through constructive and destructive superposition, DLIP enables the fabrication of surface structures at both the micro- and nanoscale.   We have introduced DLIP technology to Switzerland, establishing a versatile and open lab unit that allows us to develop innovative surface functionalities for the Swiss industry. Our future work will focus on exploring new functions, applications, and materials through beam shaping, optical design, and ultra-fast laser technology. The adaptable lab unit can flexibly be adjusted to all future needs.   For more information, please contact: Nikolai Schröder (nikolai.schroeder@inspire.ch) Arthur Lopes Dal Mago (arthur.dalmago@inspire.ch) Dr. Timo Schudeleit (timo.schudeleit@inspire.ch) inspire AG, Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory - ETH Zürich (lead professorship of the Laser Material Processing Group)

@inspire at the @IBAM pitching event Yesterday, Chiara Monti delivered a great presentation on the recently completed IBAM / Applied Circular Economy project “UPSALA” - revolutionizing aluminium upcycling by transforming production scraps into high-quality alloys for Additive Manufacturing. A big thank you to our dedicated team, partners, and sponsors (Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory - ETH Zürich Manufacturing Lab Zurich, GF Casting solutions, IBAM Network for making this possible, and to Hendrik Holsboer for the opportunity to present and network. For more details and potential collaborations, reach out to Konrad Papis (konrad.papis@inspire.ch). #Sustainability #Innovation #Upcycling #AdditiveManufacturing #CircularEconomy

We are happy to announce that our team will present two topics at this year's CADFEM (D-A-CH) Conference in Rapperswil. 🔍 Our team leader, Daniel Spescha, will present the latest updates on our Thermal Precision Monitoring in the plenary session. 📈 In the Data Management & Validation session, Mayra Hoppstädter will talk about challenges and case studies of simulation in the development of machine tools. We hope to see you there!

Wir freuen uns, Ihnen mit CADFEM (D-A-CH) einen Partner mit langjähriger Erfahrung im Bereich Simulation und Digital Engineering vorstellen zu können. Als Ansys Apex Channel Partner bieten sie unter anderem Lösungen von dem weltweit größten unabhängigen CAE-Simulationssoftware Hersteller. Gemeinsam mit CADFEM kann unser MORe Simulations Team Kunden nun international noch besser unterstützen. Mehr Informationen über MORe gibt es unter www.more-simulations.ch

Thermal simulations are an essential tool for optimizing the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process. However, their adoption in the process optimization workflow is still challenged by the long computational time required for solving the heat transfer problem numerically. Our in-house Finite Volume solver, developed at the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory - ETH Zürich and inspire AG,  allows for predicting the temperature field evolution during WAAM at a significantly lower computational cost than standard Finite Element simulations. This provides a myriad of opportunities for more efficient and versatile process optimization tasks. Interested to know more? PhD candidate Maicol Fabbri Maicol F. (maicol.fabbri@inspire.ch) and Group Leaders Mamzi Afrasiabi (mamzi.afrasiabi@inspire.ch) and Ivo Aschwanden (ivo.aschwanden@inspire.ch)

What is possible within 14s? 🔍 With MORe you have unlimited possibilities of what you can do in just 14 seconds. You can simulate either 1 transient positioning analysis with the Full Transient Solver or 100 transient positioning analyses with our new Periodic Response Solver. This speed offers the possibility to perform comprehensive analyses, such as determining the worst-case overshoot and settling time. This increases efficiency and quality and minimises risks. 👓 Would you like to find out more? Let's meet at this year's CADFEM (D-A-CH) Simulation Conference, 20th June in Rapperswil. We will discuss this topic in more detail at 14:55 in room 4.114. In the plenary session at 9:40 we will also talk about our digital twin for thermal precision monitoring. We look forward to seeing you there!

Upgrading Production Scraps to Advanced Aluminium Alloys We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the IBAM - Innovation Booster Additive Manufacturing “UPSALA” project, which aims at revolutionizing aluminium upcycling by transforming production scraps into high-quality alloys for Additive Manufacturing. This innovative process significantly reduces energy consumption, carbon footprint, and waste, promoting sustainability in the AM industry. Despite impurities, the recycled alloys achieved competitive mechanical properties and faster processing times. The project will be presented at the next “Innovation Booster – Project Presentations & Funding opportunities” event at ETH Zurich on July 2nd, see: https://lnkd.in/eu4U9RbP A big thank you to our dedicated team, partners, and sponsors (Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory - ETH Zürich, GF Casting Solutions, IBAM - Innovation Booster Additive Manufacturing) for making this possible! For more details and potential collaborations, reach out Konrad Papis (konrad.papis@inspire.ch). #Sustainability #Innovation #Recycling #AdditiveManufacturing #CircularEconomy

High process stability in laser cladding thanks to in-situ powder profiling by Ponticon PowderSpy! The layer height and material quality in laser cladding strongly depend on a stable powder flow. A deposition asymmetry, pulsing or misalignment with the laser beam and focus are some issues that destabilize the cladding process. Reasons are manifold (hopper, bend pipes, poor splitters, clogging or nozzle wear), but often detected to late due to the need for time consuming manual measurements. By in-situ powder profiling, the material deposition quality and stability can automatically be assessed before and after the process. Therefore, we brought the first PowderSpy to Switzerland, giving us the opportunity to understand conditions for good and poor powder profiles in depth and increase both the material efficiency and cladding quality. The long-term goal is to build up a sensor platform that monitors all relevant cladding parameters including powder and gas flows. The Ponticon PowderSpy will be one integral part of this platform. For more details: Francesco Rippa francesco.rippa@inspire.ch Dr. Timo Schudeleit timo.schudeleit@inspire.ch (inspire AG, Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory - ETH Zürich) Lukas Maiss lukas.maiss@powderspy.de (Ponticon GmbH)

Have you heard about the latest advancements in 3D printing extrusion control? Traditional extrusion control methods rely on pre-planned commands. Consequently, they struggle to produce precise results and to adapt to disturbances, impacting print quality. In response, we have partnered with NematX AG to create an integrated framework for on-line extrusion control. We combined real-time extrusion force measurement and closed-loop control to ensure precise, consistent, and high-quality prints even under severe disturbances like uneven print beds and driving wheel slippage. The controller that we developed can calibrate itself autonomously and optimize the printing parameters. Leveraging the correlation between extrusion force and line width, we were able to use a 0.15mm nozzle to deposit lines of any desired width comprised between 0.05mm and 0.4mm. Force Controlled Printing promises more precision, reliability, and flexibility in 3D printing! For more details approach Xavier Guidetti (xavier.guidetti@inspire.ch) Efe Balta (efe.balta@inspire.ch). The work was done together with @Automatic Control Lab (IfA) ETH Zurich (https://control.ee.ethz.ch) and NematX AG #AdditiveManufacturing #Innovation #3DPrinting

Automating material testing offers significant advantages, primarily enhancing both the quality and quantity of data acquisition. By reducing manual errors, the accuracy and repeatability of experiments improve, ensuring more reliable results. Additionally, automation enables experiments to be conducted at a lower cost, facilitating a greater volume of tests. Particularly with small specimens that are highly sensitive to handling mistakes, automated testing becomes imperative to ensure precise and consistent outcomes. In support of the ETH Zürich Institute for Virtual Manufacturing's (Prof. Dirk Mohr) efforts toward fully automated testing of miniature specimens, our focus lies on streamlining the entire process. This includes not only the automation of testing procedures but also seamless integration with post-processing of captured data. Furthermore, incorporating sensors to monitor the success of each step ensures efficient operation and timely identification of any potential issues. A first step of this journey was published here: https://lnkd.in/ez-FMPzf. For more details approach ruben.zwicker@inspire.ch