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This work describes the use of deposition-based additive manufacturing (AM) techniques to fabricate air-cooled, two-fluid heat exchangers. The project focused on a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning application and used an industry-standard copper/aluminum heat exchanger manufactured with conventional technology as the basis for assessing performance. The manufacturing constraints associated with using deposition-based AM technology for this application include the need for a continuous tool path within each build layer that allows uninterrupted extrusion and therefore defect-free water channel walls that correspond to a reliably leak-tight heat exchanger. A geometry that respects these constraints was developed, simulated, optimized and finally manufactured and tested. The material used was a composite of polymer filled with conductive flakes in order to provide high conductivity in the direction that heat must flow in this heat exchanger, across the wall separating the fluids. The measured performance for several test coupons matched the predicted performance and the test coupons exhibited performance that approach and in some cases exceeds conventional technology

Fused filament fabrication with reinforced or filled polymers provides improved material properties compared to ordinary feedstock. A current limitation of these materials is the occurrence of nozzle clogging at higher filler contents. In this work, an experiment is designed to identify the factors causing nozzle clogging. Glass sphere-filled polycarbonate is investigated by varying nozzle and filler diameters, the resin viscosity, the filler content, and the extrusion pressure. Equations identifying nozzle clogging and intermittent clogging conditions are provided. Based on these results, a model for the clogging of sphere-filled polymers is proposed. Last, a mathematical model is derived, which approximates the printability of filled polymers without the preparation of composites. This model is based on the nozzle geometry, the filler type and content, the resin viscosity, and the printer’s maximum extrusion force.

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a type of additive manufacturing based on material extrusion that has long been considered a prototyping technology. However, the right application of material, process, and product can be used for manufacturing of end-use products, such as air-cooled heat exchangers made by adding fillers to the base polymer, enhancing the thermal conductivity. Fiber fillers lead to anisotropic thermal conductivity, which is governed by the process-induced fiber orientation. This article presents an experimental study on the microstructure-property relationship for carbon fiber-filled polyamide used in FFF. The fiber orientation is measured by micro-computed tomography, and the thermal conductivity of manufactured samples is measured. Although the thermal conductivity is raised by more than three times in the fiber orientation direction at a load of only 12 vol.%, the enhancement is low in the other directions, and this anisotropy, along with certain manufacturing restrictions, influences the final part performance.

In this paper, fused deposition modeling is used to process pure polylactic acid (PLA) and copper fiber reinforced PLA composite (Cu/PLA) specimen. Comparative experiments are performed on printed specimens of different raster angles (0°, 90°, 45°, 0°/90° and ± 45°, respectively). Tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and fracture surface analysis are employed to characterize all the specimens. The DMA exhibits remarkable improvement on storage modulus and loss tangent of Cu/PLA composite specimen. Due to the lower tensile strength and higher elasticity of Cu fiber compared with PLA, the tensile strength of Cu/PLA composite specimen decreases with the addition of Cu fiber, while the elongation-at-break increases. Both PLA and Cu/PLA specimens printed at a raster angle of 0° show highest tensile strength and dynamic mechanical properties, while the 90° raster angle with the lowest value. Fracture morphologies indicate that the failure of a specimen of 0° raster angle is intra-layer fracture, while inter-layer fracture occur in the specimen of 90° raster angle.

The use of an electrostatic chuck to support and flatten an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask during scanning exposure will be a critical component to meet the stringent requirements on image placement errors in the sub-30-nm regime. Consequently, the ability to predict the response of the mask during e-chucking is necessary for the design and implementation of the e-chuck system. This research focuses on characterizing the coefficient of friction between the EUV reticle and the dielectric material of the chuck. A customized tool was constructed to test chuck and reticle samples both in air and in a vacuum chamber. Studies were conducted to identify the friction coefficient at various chucking pressures and to examine the effects of wear caused by repeated measurements on the same location of the reticle surface. All experiments were performed in a cleanroom environment. Results of the friction testing illustrate the range of values to expect for typical EUV reticles and chucks. Finite element (FE) modeling was then used to illustrate the effects of friction on the overall capability of the chuck to flatten the mask. Additional FE simulations demonstrated the magnitude of the friction force needed to ensure that the reticle would not slip during the acceleration / deceleration loading seen in the scanning exposure process.