EPMAN RESEARCH GROUP
Engineering for Precision Manufacturing
Officially recognised in 2023 as a research group at the University of Oviedo, EPMAN focuses its activity on improving precision in additive manufacturing processes. Some of its members bring over three decades of research experience, during which their work has evolved from the development of automated manufacturing planning systems to the field of advanced dimensional inspection. In this area, the group has worked with 3D measurement systems, both contact and non-contact, applied in offline and online environments directly on machine tools. In recent years, driven by the growth of additive manufacturing, EPMAN has directed its research towards this field, integrating its expertise in inspection to enhance process precision, particularly in low-cost additive technologies, with the aim of increasing their competitiveness and facilitating their industrial adoption.
Abstract The CAFAMEX project investigates the additive manufacturing of metal components using material extrusion of a thermoplastic feedstock loaded with metal particles (MEX-TRB/M). This technology enables the production of metal parts using equipment that is less costly and less complex than that required by other metal additive manufacturing processes. The [...]
Abstract The project explores the possibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic materials to produce ceramic tools for metal cutting. Among other advantages, this concept aims to manufacture ceramic tools with optimized cutting geometries, provide them with customized texturing of the cutting surface, generate optimized internal cooling channels at [...]
Abstract Ceramic materials are gaining relevance in Additive Manufacturing (AM), although the lack of standardized process parameters limits the repeatability and comparability of printed parts. This study proposes an optimization procedure for the fabrication of alumina (Al₂O₃) components using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) with a ceramic–polymer composite filament. The methodology [...]
Abstract This work presents a fused-filament fabrication (FFF) hot end that combines an unrestricted-rotation C-axis with a rectangular-slot nozzle and an induction-heated melt sleeve. The architecture replaces the popular resistive cartridge and heater block design with an external coil that induces eddy-current heating in a thin-walled sleeve, threaded to the [...]
Feasibility of Conoscopic Holography Measurement in the Stereolithography (SLA) Process with Alumina
Abstract As additive manufacturing technologies continue to gain ground in industrial applications, the need for the accurate metrological evaluation of parts produced with advanced materials becomes increasingly critical. In this context, non-contact metrology plays a key role. This research investigates the performance of conoscopic holography as an optical metrology technique [...]
