Bram Dorussen

The PhD research of Bram Dorussen is affiliated with the “BIC Project - Proeffabriek Multi-materiaal 3D” and focuses on Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing (MMAM). To investigate the material interfaces and interactions a new Discrete Element Method (DEM) process model for AM is developed. The DEM model should be able to predict shape, residual stresses, the complete product history and product properties. The discrete nature of the AM processes and multi-material interfaces fit well to a DEM simulation and its high level of detail might provide new insights into MMAM. Challenges in the development of this model are the different material interactions, the simulation of a continuum solid using DEM and the mapping of printer settings to product properties. The finished model can be used to predict print processes or printed  product properties and can be studied to deduct design rules for AM designers.

Soon we might be able to produce anything that comes to mind, but the full potential of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is yet to be unlocked, numerical techniques can contribute significantly to achieving this.