In this paper, a method for the simultaneous provision of material validation, mass serialization, and binding enhancement using a portable hardness tester is presented for 3D printed parts. The process described in this paper is intended for implementation using a robotic arm-mounted hardness tester for ease of integration into a manufacturing environment, and adaptability of the process for custom parts. Hardness testing can be used for material validation, but the process of hardness testing leaves an indent in the material where the test is performed. Thus, the indents must be placed where they do not affect desired aesthetics, or else coupled with another desired process. By administering the hardness tests in a specified pattern on the material, the indents created on the material can be used for two additional functions – increasing the surface area to enhance joining, and marking an item-specific serialization code on the part that can be used for later identification. The postprocessing of 3D printed parts can be streamlined by completing these three objectives in a single process that is highly adaptable to customized manufactured parts through an implementation using a robotic arm.
Katrina J Weinmann, Steven J Simske, "Hardness Testing Process for Enhanced Joining, Material Validation, and Mass Serialization" in Proc. IS&T Printing for Fabrication: Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies (NIP37), 2021, pp 65 - 68, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2021.37.65