Hybrid Manufacturing using Friction Stir Additive, Structured Light Scanning, and CNC Machining

Abstract: This presentation describes the integration of three complementary technologies to enable hybrid manufacturing. First, friction stir additive manufacturing is applied for solid-state deposition of a 6061-T6 aluminum preform that contains the desired part geometry (designed to mimic reinforced flight panel). Second, structured light scanning is used to measure the preform and build plate simultaneously. A coordinate system is assigned to the measurement using the build plate features and this result is used as the stock model for the computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) toolpath generation. The build plate is then transferred to a computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine to achieve the designer’s intent for geometry, accuracy, and surface finish. Measurements of the final part are presented, including microstructure evaluation.

Bio: George Tony Schmitz received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University in 1993, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1996, and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1999. Schmitz completed a post-doctoral appointment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and was then employed as a Mechanical Engineer from 1999-2002. Schmitz accepted an appointment in the University of Florida’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2002 and joined the Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science Department at UNC Charlotte in 2011.

Dr. Schmitz accepted a Joint Faculty position between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 2019. The appointment is a split position between the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering department at UTK and ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. His most recent appointment is Director of the Southeastern Advanced Machine Tools Network (SEAMTN), a consortium of companies, colleges and universities, national laboratories, non-profit organizations, and the Tennessee state government that seeks to strengthen the US industrial base by investing in machine tool research and development, education, workforce development, and supply chain support. He continues his manufacturing research in support of the US machine tool industry with an emphasis on machining dynamics, metrology, machine learning, and additive manufacturing.