Direct Digital Manufacturing applied to the production of glass pieces represents undoubtedly a paradigm shift in the production method. Its application in the artistic glass industry has, as a result, a drastic reduction of the manual labor required, time production and mainly energy bills. As a consequence of the automation production processes, a mass production can be expected. This work is dedicated to the conceptualization and design of a glass additive manufacturing equipment. The ability to print 3D glass parts from glass molten at the extrusion moment is demonstrated in this work. This is an important contribution for the decorative and utility glass industrial sector, once became possible a quasi-total freedom to generate all geometry types. Additionally, a considerable reduction in energy bills is expected due to the procedure proposed to meld the glass.

Authors: Felismina R, Silva M, Mateus A, Malça C

Published in: Advanced Structured Materials