Vibrational Analysis of AM Replacement Parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) sits poised to make a large impact on the manufacturing sector as AM parts are increasingly integrated in full production systems. Using AM parts as replacement parts has recently been touted as a way to save money and increase efficiencies in supply chains. While much work has been done exploring the properties of individual AM parts and how they might affect supply chains, very little has been done to investigate the impact of AM parts as components in a larger system. Ultimately, both static and dynamic testing will be used to quantify the effect of using AM parts. In this work, static testing was performed by clamping a bar (either steel or aluminum) and striking it with a hammer to determine its natural frequencies using a sensor at the end of the bar. These measured frequencies were then compared to theoretically calculated values. The work will progress to plastic bars, both machined and AM, to measure their frequencies. These data will be used to help develop a theoretical model that could be used to predict the impact for using an AM part in a system designed using traditionally manufactured parts.