DIVALIITO - Smart spare parts methods and possibilities

This report is a DIVALIITO project document for Smart spare parts work package describing the methods and possibilities of embedded intelligence in digital spare parts using additive manufacturing. The report was written to see what kind of technologies have been presented in literature dealing with additive manufacturing and embedded intelligence also to give the companies participating in the DIVALIITO project some examples and ideas on what they could be benefitting from and to be realized as a demonstrator use cases during the DIVALIITO project. Embedded intelligence can mean sensing elements added on the surface of the parts or elements added inside the parts. In majority of the presented cases in this report, the elements have been added during the manufacturing process. Embedded intelligence can be used e.g. in improving the communication, detecting or condition monitoring of the digital spare parts simultaneously having the sensors well protected from the environment. The used sensors and technologies should be selected depending on what phenomena is intended to be measured. Nevertheless, the application of sensors and manufacturing the components with functional sensors inside the parts is not always straightforward. Especially when embedding traditional electronics in metal AM components, the accumulated heat during the manufacturing process can destroy the sensing elements and special care needs to be taken in the design taking into account the possibilities and limitations. Typically, for plastic components the embedding process is easier with lower temperatures. The process interruptions to enable the embedding of sensing elements can reduce the mechanical properties of the parts and should be investigated case by case.