Multi-material additive manufacturing

The EU-funded MULTI-FUN project aims to focus on market-creating innovation, developing advanced materials and equipment for the additive manufacturing of multi-material parts. These new material combinations will give a significant performance and efficiency boost to MAM products through fully integrated multi-functionalities based on novel active materials; moreover, they will enable multi-material design in geometrically complex 3D metal parts without size limitations via innovative, cost-effective AM technologies. The novel integrated functionalities include embedded electrical conductivity, fibre-optic sensing features or innovative heat management concepts, including the application of nanotechnologies in at least three variants.

Objective

MULTI-FUN sets a clear focus on market-creating innovation, developing advanced materials and equipment for Additive Manufacturing of multi-material parts. These new material combinations will provide a significant performance & efficiency gain in MAM products by fully integrated multi-functionalities based on novel active materials and enable MULTI-MATERIAL design in geometrically complex 3D metal parts without size limitations by innovative, cost-effective AM technologies. The novel integrated functionalities include embedded electrical conductivity, fibre-optical sensing features or innovative heat management concepts, incl. applying nanotechnologies in at least 3 variants.
Leading experts in AM process & equipment manufacturing (from SMEs, IND, RTOs and UNIV) will fully cover the physical integration of these advanced materials into metallic substrates. Significant improvements in efficiency, quality & reliability of products will result in KPI numbers beyond the request (>40%), alongside reduced environmental impact as well as lower costs also much better than the given number of >35%.
The evaluation assessment (reg. general performance & quality of novel functionalities) and LCA will be performed on 7 industrial demonstrators, addressing structural parts, moulds and test equipment for aerospace, automotive and general industrial usage.
By wide usage of cost-effective wire & arc-based AM systems, complemented by efficient powder processing methods (esp. thin multi-material features), market uptake will be benefited, esp. for SMEs. MULTI-FUN includes 9 EU SMEs as key players in advanced materials research for AM, providing a great opportunity to accelerate market uptake. Stakeholder involvement (e.g. reg. Certification & Standardization) will foster business models & marketing of strong USPs of MULTI-FUN.