Simulation of thermoplastic 3D-printed parts for crash applications

The rapid development of additive manufacturing techniques in aeronautic and automotive industry opens new possibilities in the design of metallic or composite parts compared to traditional subtractive processes. In particular, 3D printing allows the design of complex parts with a high lightweight potential through optimal use of material along the load paths. In the composite field, various printing techniques emerged in the last decade such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) [1]. On the downside, 3D printing is confronted to the large influence of process parameters on the geometrical and optical quality as well as on the mechanical properties of the manufactured structures [2]. Moreover, simulation techniques with finite-element methods are still at their very beginning and improvements should be achieved to predict structural performances in crash applications.