In the era of increasing demand for sources of renewable and cleaner energy, electric vehicles offer possible solutions in order to maintain and improve the mobility of transport systems. In parallel, the application of machine learning for digital twin technology greatly contributes to the development and optimization of vehicles and systems, saving time and resources, as well as material resources. In terms of electric vehicle components, electric batteries represent the most expensive elements where machine learning can help to optimize characteristics during exploitation and to predict maintenance time and their lifetime. This article related to the possibilities of future research, which, by intensifying the digitalization and machine learning for digital twin technology, will affect the improvement of the application and disposal of components, but the complete system of electric vehicles, during the entire life cycle, including the recycling.

Selective laser melting is a frequently used, powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technology for producing metallic parts. However, appropriate surface quality cannot be achieved, so post-processing is often necessary. Subsequent machining of surfaces serves multiple objectives such as improvement of dimensional accuracy, changing surface roughness and modification of the residual stress state for higher surface hardness. Beyond its several advantageous properties, Ti6Al4V material has, as its weaknesses, low tribological behavior and wear resistance. Sliding friction burnishing is a conventional chipless and coolant-free environmentally conscious technology for surface modification that is appropriate for simultaneously decreasing surface roughness and increasing surface hardness. Until now, there has been a research gap regarding the diamond burnishing of selective laser melted Ti6Al4V parts. In this study, we investigated how the surface roughness of selective laser melted parts can be modified via sliding friction burnishing. 2D and 3D characteristics of surface roughness were measured by a chromatic roughness measuring device. Indices of surface roughness improvement were defined and studied as a function of selective laser melting parameters. Optimal manufacturing parameters of laser power—P = 280 W and scanning speed u = 1200 mm/s—for effective surface improvement via burnishing are proposed.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a frequently used additive manufacturing technology for creating metallic, especially Ti6Al4V parts. After the production by SLM usually postprocessing is necessary for several reasons. Here the sliding friction diamond burnishing is applied as postprocessing procedure.In this paper an experimental study of surface hardness improvement of selective laser melted Ti6Al4V ELI cylindrical parts is demonstrated. The surface is modified by sliding friction diamond burnishing as postprocessing machining. The design of experiment method was applied to investigate effect of five factors (two SLM and three machining parameters) on surface hardness modification.It is shown that both SLM and postprocessing factors makes significant effect to the surface hardness improvement, most important ones are laser power, laser scan speed during manufacturing, and the burnishing force as factor of postprocessing. Empirical formulas are fit to measurement data, and visualized by surface plots. Relationship between factors and the surface hardness improvement is strongly nonlinear. In the investigated parameter window burnishing force has always positive effect to surface hardness improvement.Electron microscopic investigations show that change in surface hardness can be related to four main morphological changes: compression of the surface by plastic deformation of protrusions, attenuation of valleys, formation of inner cavities and creation of small protrusions by diamond tool. This paper is an extended paper of a conference paper published in the proceedings book of the XXXI. International Welding Conference (Kecskemét, Hungary).

Additively manufactured metallic parts usually need postprocessing in order to achieve required shape accuracy. Cylindrical test specimens were produced by selective laser melting from Ti6Al4V powder material with different processing parameters. The aim of postprocessing was modification of shape accuracy. Sliding friction diamond burnishing was applied as the postprocessing method. A five-factor, two-level full factorial design of experiment was implemented with factors being infill laser power, infill laser scan speed, burnishing speed, feed and force. Improvement ratios of two roundness parameters were defined, calculated from experimental data, and studied by main effect and interaction analysis. It has been demonstrated that burnishing feed has the largest main effect to improvement in roundness total and cylindricity. Additionally, parameters of both selective laser melting and diamond burnishing appear in three largest interaction terms. Empirical functions were fit to measurement data. Results show that improvement in roundness parameters are strongly nonlinear functions of all factors.

MATEC Web of Conferences, open access proceedings in Materials science, Engineering and Chemistry