Authors:

Ayman Manzoor (1,2), Vaclav Pejchal (1), Navid Sohrabi (1), Yoël Puyol (3), Jamie Paik (2), Olha Sereda (1)

1- CSEM, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, 2002 Neuchâtel, Switzerland

2- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rte Cantonale, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

3- Almatech, EPFL Innovation Park, Bâtiment D, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Abstract:

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) have emerged as promising materials for novel actuation strategies due to their ability to recover large amounts of deformation upon heating above a specific temperature. Additive manufacturing has gained attention as a potential method to design and produce SMA actuators with versatile geometries. However, the success of SMA actuation hinges on the ability to produce reliable, reversible, and repeatable shape changes. This study investigates the two-way shape-memory effect (TWSME) in compliant geometries fabricated through additive manufacturing of nitinol (NiTi). The work focuses on cantilever beams fabricated using the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process to evaluate training parameters of TWSME. In addition, we present a novel stopper methodology to mitigate the shape memory response degradation in TWSME. We establish a framework for future studies to customize the desired shape memory properties in simple geometries and then apply the resulting insights to more complex compliant mechanisms.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59499/EP235763857