FEAM - Fiber Encapsulating Additive Manufacturing

Motivation

Fiber optic technology allows us to overcome physical limitations in data transmission. In lighting technology, flat, flexible, and lightweight light sources can be realized. Both applications cannot be achieved with any other technology. For implementation, careful integration of the fibers is crucial for optimal functionality.

Current methods for applying fiber optics are often manual and time-consuming, leading to high production costs and longer manufacturing times. Manual applications can result in inconsistencies in quality and precision, affecting the reliability of the final products. Additionally, traditional methods offer less flexibility in integrating fiber optic functionalities into complex component geometries, limiting design possibilities.

Technology description

The Wire Encapsulating Additive Manufacturing (WEAM) developed at the institute is used as the basic structure and extended for the functional material fiber optics. The resulting Fibre Encapsulating Additive Manufacturing (FEAM) allows for the gentle integration of fiber optic strands onto various substrates. A single fiber or a fiber bundle is applied to the component through a tool head and fixed with a polymer coating. This enables the creation of arbitrary path contours directly on the final component.

Challenges / research priorities

The aim of FEAM technology is to overcome the existing limitations of fiber optic integration, providing cost-effective and design-flexible solutions for industrial applications. We are researching methods for fully automated integration of fiber optic functions and developing tool head systems to enable faster, more precise, and efficient manufacturing. The goal is to apply optical fibers directly onto (injection-molded) components to reduce processing times and component numbers.

Objectives:

• Integration of single fibers and bundles with diameters ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 mm
• Precise 3D placement with an accuracy of 0.05 mm
• Process speeds of 500 mm/s
• Optimal substrate-polymer combinations and process parameters for all application requirements