Gianni Campatelli

The chapter “A Department Open to Society: Public Engagement Activities” highlights DIEF’s commitment to dialogue with the community through science outreach initiatives, student orientation, collaboration with schools, institutions, and associations, and participation in public events. These third-mission activities demonstrate the Department’s dedication to disseminating scientific and technological culture, promoting inclusion, and contributing to the social, cultural, and economic development of the territory.

The chapter “Technological Innovation Serving the Local Community: Research and Technology Transfer Activities of the Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory” describes the laboratory’s contribution to the development of advanced solutions for production systems. Through research on manufacturing technologies, additive manufacturing, and process monitoring and control, the laboratory fosters industrial innovation and enhances companies’ competitiveness. Its technology transfer activities strengthen the link between the university and the local territory, supporting the transition toward sustainable and digitalized production models.

This study investigates Dot-by-Dot Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (DBD-WAAM), a novel variant of conventional Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, which facilitates the fabrication of unconventional lattice structures. The research employs a combined approach of finite element method (FEM) simulations and experimental validation. FEM was utilized to simulate the DBD-WAAM process, analyzing the impact of key parameters such as idle time and heat input on interpass temperature. The simulation results were validated against experimental data. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) boundaries were identified through optical microscopy and compared with FEM predictions. Furthermore, the simulated temperature distribution was correlated with thermal imaging data recorded during the manufacturing process. Three distinct heat source models–semi-spherical, linearly decaying, and exponentially decaying–were employed to characterize the spatial distribution of heat input. The semi-spherical heat source model demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for both the heat-affected zone boundary and the temporal evolution of temperature. The findings confirm that the FEM model accurately predicts both the temperature distribution and the HAZ boundaries for DBD-WAAM with a maximum average error of approximately 15% for interpass temperature and 20% for substrate temperature in the worst case scenario. Finally, the study proposes a design curve, providing crucial information for selecting appropriate interpass idle times to ensure optimal thermal control between individual dots, and consequently a better control of the geometry and mechanical properties.

Die-sinking Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a manufacturing process for fabricating complex geometries in challenging applications. However, its energy-intensive nature and complex parameter interactions pose challenges in balancing productivity, sustainability, and electrode wear. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption and electrode degradation in EDM. Utilizing an advanced experimental setup with real-time energy monitoring, this study investigated the trade-off between machining parameters, energy efficiency, and electrode wear. The study employed a simple and standardized electrode geometry and varied EDM parameters, such as discharge current and pulse duration. The obtained results clearly demonstrated that optimizing EDM machining parameters, particularly discharge current, significantly influenced machining efficiency and electrode wear. Specifically, employing high-current settings of 140 A substantially reduced the total machining time from approximately 33 h (at conservative settings of 40 A) down to around 3.5 h, achieving nearly a tenfold improvement. Moreover, it also led to a reduction in specific energy consumption (SEC), decreasing from 0.81 Wh/mm³ at the low current (40 A) to 0.19 Wh/mm³ at the higher current (140 A), underscoring a definitive inverse relationship between discharge current and energy consumption. The study outcomes provide practical guidelines for enhancing the operational efficiency and sustainability of EDM in advanced manufacturing sectors.

Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a manufacturing process for fabricating complex geometries in challenging applications. However, its energy-intensive nature and complex parameter interactions pose challenges in balancing productivity, sustainability, and electrode-wear. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the energy consumption and electrode degradation in EDM. Utilising an advanced experimental setup with real-time energy monitoring, this study investigated the trade-off between the machining parameters, energy efficiency, and electrode wear. The study employed a simple and standardised electrode geometry and varied EDM parameters, such as discharge current and pulse duration. Comparative analyses between high-current and low-current settings highlighted a critical trade-off: although conservative parameters minimised electrode wear, they drastically increased machining times and energy consumption. In contrast, the optimised high-current settings reduced the machining time by up to an order of magnitude while maintaining acceptable electrode wear levels. Quantitative metrics, such as Specific Energy Consumption (SEC), reinforce these findings. The study outcomes provide practical guidelines for enhancing EDM's operational efficiency and sustainability of EDM in advanced manufacturing sectors.

This study investigates the feasibility of using friction stir extrusion (FSE) recycled aluminum wires as filler metals for gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and additive manufacturing applications. A NC-controlled GTAW feeding system was developed to enable the deposition of these recycled wires. The effect of cleaning the machining chips before the FSE process on the quality of the manufactured wires and the resulting welded beads was evaluated. Wires produced from uncleaned chips and cleaned chips were compared in terms of their external appearance, ductility, and the presence of porosity after the weld deposition. The results showed that cleaning the chips before the FSE process is crucial for obtaining more uniform wires with better ductility. Automatic GTAW deposition using cleaned wires resulted in significantly improved bead geometry, reduced external porosity, and overall better quality compared to uncleaned wires. However, both wire types exhibited internal porosity, with uncleaned wires showing the worst performance. The findings demonstrate the potential of using FSE recycled aluminum wires for welding and additive manufacturing while highlighting the importance of chip cleaning and the need for further optimization to minimize porosity in the deposited material.

Improvement of the surface quality of titanium-based design objects produced through WAAM technology using chemical machining: A preliminary study PERNA Ale