Science & Technology
Researchers Demonstrate Wideband Metamaterial Absorber Made of 3D Printed Conductive Plastic
There’s been a lot of research into 3D printing metamaterials over the years – due to their unique properties, they’ve been used to make everything from headphones and heart valve models to door locks and acoustic holograms, and maybe someday even...
Researchers Inspired by Nature to Develop Recyclable Liquid Crystal Polymers for FDM 3D Printing
While it’s possibly to quickly manufacture complex parts at a low cost using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, the readily available polymers are fairly weak, and the completed 3D prints have poor adhesion. According to an ETH Zürich research group...
Assessing Impact Resistance of 3D Printed Polyjet Objects
An object’s design has a large influence on how damage-resistant it is. In a thesis entitled “Peridynamic Modeling of Dynamic Fracture in Bio-Inspired Structures for High Velocity Impacts,” a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Master’s student...
First Mechanical Properties Tests of 3D Printed Carbon CLIP Lattice Parts
California 3D printing company Carbon, founded in 2013, suddenly hit the scene in 2015 with its innovative Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) technology, which uses the power of light and oxygen to cure a photosensitive resin. Rather than building an object...
Comparing 3D Printed Parts Made with Virgin and Recycled PLA
While 3D printing continues to grow in leaps and bounds, it still creates a lot of waste, due to removed support structures, disposable prototypes, failed prints, and multiple iterations. Luckily, PLA is biodegradable, and the waste can be easily managed in multiple...
UK Researchers Develop Responsive Cellulose-Based Ink for 4D Printing
We’ve seen the results of 3D printing research about responsive materials, but what about with 4D printing, where 3D printed objects can move and change shape of their own volition? A collaborative team of researchers from the University of Bristol and the...
LLNL Researchers Use Laser Beam Shaping to Enhance Properties During Metal 3D Printing
From bioprinting blood vessels and using 3D printing to control reactive materials to 3D printing nanoporous gold and researching metal 3D printing flaws, the scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are well known for their impressive work with 3D...
3D Bioprinting: Comparing Lattice Scaffolds with Traditional Rectangular Sheets
Bioprinting is not a simple endeavor – if it were, we would likely be transplanting 3D printed organs by now. It’s a delicate process that requires a number of factors to be in place, including bioinks that are both printable and biocompatible, and proper...
Researchers Use Single Mode 1 kW Fiber Laser to 3D Print Pure Copper Powder
As of right now, selective laser melting (SLM. DMLS, Powder Bed Fusion) is suitable mainly for 3D printing copper alloys. But it would be better to print pure copper (Cu), as it is more thermally and electrically conductive, and while the metal can be used in...
Acoustic Nozzles Improve the Performance of 3D Printed Parts
Usually when we’re talking about 3D printing in terms of acoustics, it has to do with making a good set of speakers. But, recent research has determined that acoustic signal processing could be used to monitor the build quality of a 3D printed part while in...
Researchers Use 3D Printing, Scanning, and Modeling to Make Customized Protective Gear for Field Hockey
While playing sports is great fun and can be a great workout as well, it can also be dangerous. That’s why there’s been a lot of research centered around keeping athletes safe by using 3D printing to make better protective gear. A pair of researchers who...
Comparing Rectangular and Lattice Structures in 3D Printing Bioinks
In 3D bioprinting, scientists and researchers use bioinks for material, which are loaded with cells to 3D print biological structures; once printed, secondary crosslinking mechanisms come into play to retain the shape’s structural fidelity. These bioinks can...
Study Looks at Soft Materials in 3D Microprinting With 2 Photon Lithography
3D printing on the microscale is becoming more common as tools and materials become more sophisticated. Currently, however, most materials used in this type of 3D printing are rigid, glassy ones used in stereolithography. In a new paper entitled “Materials...
Ultrasonic Technology Improves Surface Finish of 3D Prints
Stair stepping is a common problem in 3D printing. This is when seam lines appear between layers and excess material is left as a residue on the print, negatively affecting its surface finish. For many applications, surface finish is an important component, so experts...
Study Examines Compressive Behavior of 3D Printed Lattice Structures
Lattice structures are frequently found in additive manufacturing, as their complex forms are easy to make using 3D printing. The technology also makes it possible to construct them from multiple materials. Because of their high specific strength and stiffness,...
Monitoring the Laser Powder Bed Fusion 3D Printing Process with Spectroscopy to Detect Defects
Laser powder bed fusion 3D printing, one of the most well-established processes for producing metal parts, uses a powder bed of material to build a part layer by layer. The part is formed when energy is put into the powder to fuse it together, which can achieve parts...
Assessing the Potential for 3D Printed Equipment in Cleanrooms
3D printing has been used by scientists to save money on lab equipment, which is typically quite expensive. Things get a bit complicated, however, when it comes to equipment that is used in clean rooms. There are strict limitations on the types of materials and items...
Electrically Conductive PEEK Composites for FDM 3D Printing
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a 3D printing method that can easily meet the requirements for small series industrial manufacturing. However, there aren’t a lot of commercially available materials that can work well with it other than PLA, ABS, TPU, PET, and...
TU Delft Researchers Develop Heat Accumulation Detection Procedure for SLM 3D Printing
Selective Laser Melting (SLM), a powder-based 3D printing technique also known as Laser Beam Melting or Laser Powder Bed Fusion, has been used to process metal in a variety of sectors, such as automotive, medical, and aerospace. Because this AM method offers excellent...
3D Printed Dielectric Transmitarray Antenna Prototype Proves Enhanced Features of Novel Unit-Cell Design
A transmitarray (TA) antenna consists of an illuminating feed source and a periodic transmitting planar surface, which transforms an incoming wave into a desired outgoing one. It’s a good candidate for a low-cost antenna option for operating satellites in the X,...
Using FDM 3D Printing to Make Body Armor Stronger, More Comfortable, and Stab-Resistant
As police officers participate in a multitude of daily, patrol, and even criminally-related duties, like narcotics investigations, they often deal with the threat of sharp force injury; to put it more plainly, there’s a good likelihood that they could get...
Researchers Develop Flow-Casting Method for Bioactive Coating of 3D Printed Porous Titanium Implants
We often see titanium used in 3D printed implants for humans, and even for animals. When compared to implants that are more dense, porous titanium (PT) implants, with custom porosity and structure, have mechanical properties far more similar to natural bone, which...
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Makes 3D Printed Nanoporous Gold That Could Change the Design of Electrochemical Reactors
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is known for doing impressive work with materials, particularly related to 3D printing. Whether it’s nanoscale 3D printing or 3D printed glass, the organization is constantly making new discoveries. In its latest...
Researchers Develop Novel Mixture of Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composite Material for 3D Printing
When being used to 3D print structures like bridges and houses, cement needs to be able to sustain the weight of the layers being extruded on top of it. Additionally, in order to be delivered through a pumping system, 3D printable cementitious materials need to have...
Microstructure of Powder Bed Fusion 316 L Stainless Steel: Colonies of Cells
A great deal of work is involved in optimizing materials for additive manufacturing. Porosity is a consistent problem in metal 3D printing, and scientists spend a lot of time studying each metal material to try to minimize or eliminate flaws. In a paper entitled...
