Abstract

An idea of combining Additive Manufacturing (AM) and electroforming is coming up for metal manufacturing, which could not only fulfill the increasing needs of low batch size production but also be able to fabricate complex structures like thin-walled components. Compared to direct metal printing, it is more cost-efficient and requests lower energy consumption. However, electroforming on AM mandrel has its limitation in several perspectives. During the process, undesired voids could be build-up, resulting in a rough surface and reduced mechanical properties. Also, the various distance between the mandrel and counter-electrode increased the non-uniformity of the deposit thickness. The outer contour of the deposition is no longer matching the original design.
On the other hand, the thin-walled structures as an essential component in several industrial areas provide several challenges to the conventional manufacturing industry. The difficulty of manufacturing increases along with the aspect ratio. Typically, these structures are fabricated with Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). With the rise of AM technology, direct metal printing has recently become a new solution for complex metal structures. However, high porosity and high thermal stress limit direct metal printing in many situations.
In this thesis, several methods are proposed to increase the precision of the electroformed part geometrically. As well as propose a method for thin-walled structure manufacturing, which provides another potential solution for the manufacturing industry.