SUMMARY

The machining of parts produced using additive manufacturing is often unchanged from methods used on cast or forged components. However, thin walled features present a challenge for hybrid manufacturing. Thin walls are often difficult to accurately machine due to large workpiece deflection from thrust and cutting forces applied during machining. Additionally, the near net shape features produced using additive manufacturing do not allow for traditional thin wall machining practices to be implemented. With the demand for thin walled features in industry in combination with the growing adoption of hybrid manufacturing, the need for a method to produce high quality thin walls from near-net shape additive components is evident. No clear methods currently exist that address the problems of thin wall machining from the aspect of additive or hybrid manufacturing. The following work attempts to quantify the benefits of adding sacrificial support structures to improve the rigidity of printed thin walls during machining, and to experimentally explore the design parameters of these sacrificial support structures. The angle, height and spacing of these supports will be varied to gain an understanding of how these features can best be utilized to support hybrid manufacturing.