Parts Management by Direct Integration of RFID Tags...

~ 2011 RTAM/SME DICK AUBIN DISTINGUISHED PAPER AWARD ~

Today's market requires innovative ideas and further development of additive manufacturing processes such as beam melting. Especially with regard to the increasing diversity of different product versions with decreasing batch sizes at the same time, additive manufacturing itself becomes more and more important. In general, additive manufacturing differs from conventional technologies by its layerwise and additive joining together of material to a physical part instead of removing material. Because the trend of beam melting moves from prototype production to rapid manufacturing (production of end products with series characteristics), the identification and management of beam-melted parts can be achieved by using the RFID technology. In this paper, feasibility studies for producing smart parts by the direct integration of RFID tags into beam-melted parts underneath the surface are investigated. It can be demonstrated that signals from RFID tags can be transmitted through dense metal material. This individual labeling of beam-melted parts leads to new possibilities especially with regard to the quality management for rapid manufacturing purposes.

Presented at: RAPID 2011 AND 3D IMAGING CONFERENCES & EXPOSITION, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, May 23-26, 2011, Minneapolis, MN.