Development method and devices for cutting, creasing and etching sheet metal through UV inkjet printer and chemical machining

• Grant number: 18/07739-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: November 01, 2018 - October 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Mechanical Engineering Design
• Convênio/Acordo: FINEP - PIPE/PAPPE Grant
• Principal Investigator: Marcio Hiroyuki Kurogi
• Grantee: Marcio Hiroyuki Kurogi
• Host Company: Cipolli Automação e Manutenção Ltda. - ME
• CNAE: Fabricação de máquinas e equipamentos de uso geral não especificados anteriormente ; Comércio atacadista de produtos químicos e petroquímicos, exceto agroquímicos
• City: São Carlos
• Associated research grant: 16/21613-9 - Development method and devices for cutting, creasing and etching sheet metal through UV inkjet printer and chemical machining, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/04710-9 - Development method and devices for cutting, creasing and etching sheet metal through UV inkjet printer and chemical machining, BP.TT; 18/23307-8 - Development method and devices for cutting, creasing and etching sheet metal through UV Inkjet printer and chemical machining, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Recent studies have pointed to a productivity gap between large companies and small/micro-enterprises in Brazil. What has been found in Brazil are large companies with efficiency compatible with those of developed countries, and the low productivity is basically due to the results of micro and small companies (SMEs). To improve this result, alternatives are required for SMEs to improve their productivity. We propose a new process of chemical machining to the needs (low cost, agility) of Brazilian SMEs in order to allow the development of new products and low scale productions in thin metal sheets. To perform this, we present the development of a set of equipment consisting of i) a UV inkjet printer for direct printing on metal plates, ii) a chemical machining center for promoting cuts, creases (partial cuts), textures and engraving of images, and iii) a computer program to manage everything from the consumables of both machines to the handling of images and technical drawings designed to obtain 3D parts and industrial origami. Conventional photolithography is currently employed to obtain masks for the chemical machining process and the process as a whole is known as photocorrosion. In conventional photoligraphy are necessary: design and printing of optical mask, washing and degreasing of plates, photoresist lamination, photoexposure under UV radiation, development with alkaline solution and final washing. A specific device is required for each step, what makes the process slow. Therefore, the proposed project aims the construction of an Inkjet printer with ultraviolet radiation ink curing system and a chemical machining device. These two devices enable the commercial production of low-cost and extremely flexible items from thin metal sheet, and make possible the digital color customization of the final product. Activities such as benchmarking of market available equipments (UV printers), review of the literature, field surveys, comparison to results and tests already conducted in PEPE Phase 1, will direct the study. The equipment will present characteristics raised in field research and some of them require specific software resources. For this, it is proposed the use of free open source software, both for the control of the equipments and their consumables, as well as for drawings and treatment of images (InkScape, Gimp, FreeCAD). The required embedded electronics will be developed in Arduino and Raspberry platforms and later formalized in circuit dedicated by specialized third parties. (AU)