3D printing with a 3D printed digital material filament for programming functional gradients

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing attracts growing attention as a promising method for creating functionally graded materials. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is widely available, but due to its simple process, creating spatial gradation of diverse properties using FDM is challenging. Here, we present a 3D printed digital material filament that is structured towards 3D printing of functional gradients, utilizing only a readily available FDM printer and filaments. The DM filament consists of multiple base materials combined with specific concentrations and distributions, which are FDM printed. When the DM filament is supplied to the same printer, its constituent materials are homogeneously blended during extrusion, resulting in the desired properties in the final structure. This enables spatial programming of material properties in extreme variations, including mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and color, which are otherwise impossible to achieve with traditional FDMs. Our approach can be readily adopted to any standard FDM printer, enabling low-cost production of functional gradients.

The importance of print orientation in numerical modelling of 3D printed structures under impact loading

“…Cellular structures are often used for impact protection due to their lightweight and high energy absorbing capabilities [1,2]. With the continuous improvement in additive manufacturing (AM) methods, it is now possible to produce cellular structures with complex geometries [3,4]. 3D printed cellular parts offer significant benefits in high energy impact and blast protection [5][6][7], automotive applications [8,9] as well as for lower energy impacts such as hip pads [10][11][12] and helmets [13,14].…”

Multi-material 3D nanoprinting for structures to functional micro/nanosystems

“…The first important issue is the efficient and accurate combination of different materials (polymers, metals, ceramics, etc) with good interfacial bonding quality to avoid potential defects. Several attempts such as introducing a composition gradient structure or customized composites between immiscible/incompatible materials have been presented [1,60,61], however, a deeper understanding of material joining and interfacial science, and invention of new processes to enhance interface bonding is needed [62]. The second issue is to strengthen multi-process of different printing technologies.…”