The need for personalised and smart products drives the development of structural electronics with mass-customisation capability. A number of challenges need to be overcome in order to address the potential of complete free form manufacturing of electronic devices. One key challenge is the integration of conductive structures and components into 3D printed devices by combining different materials and printing techniques that have nearly incompatible printing conditions. In this paper, several methods to integrate electronic circuits and components into a 3D printed structure are discussed. The functional performance of the resulting structures is described. Structural parts were manufactured with a stereolithography-based 3D printing technique, which was interrupted to pick and place electronic components, followed by either direct writing or squeegee filling of conductive material. A thermal curing step was applied to enhance the bonding and improve the electrical performance. Optical micrography, 4-point resistance measurement and crosssectional analysis were performed to evaluate functionality.
ARTICLE HISTORY
A photocurable energetic resin was developed for photopolymerization additive manufacturing. The composition contains 50 wt % RDX, 25 wt % acrylate binder, and 25 wt % energetic plasticizer. The material was characterized in terms of compatibility, printability, mechanical properties and (ballistic) performance. The possibility of printing energetic items of increasing complexity was demonstrated through various print trials. The culmination of the research effort was the firing of a 30 mm gun setup with 3D‐printed propellant.
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