3D Printing News & Discussions

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caltrek
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Software Cools 3D Printing to Allow Faster and Better Production
by Kate McAlpine
April 18, 2022

https://www.futurity.org/3d-printing-he ... 2727132-2/

Introduction:
(Futurity) 3D printing intricate metal and plastic parts may get better thanks to new software that reduces harmful heat buildup in laser powder bed fusion printers.

Called SmartScan, the software demonstrated a 41% improvement in heat distribution and a 47% reduction in deformations in a recent study.

It’s also likely to speed the manufacturing process in two ways: by reducing the need for printers to slow down to help with cooling and by significantly reducing heat-caused defects that must be corrected after printing.

Laser powder bed fusion is a form of 3D printing used in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical industries to manufacture parts that are too intricate to make with conventional manufacturing. It uses a laser to fuse layers of powdered metal or plastic together. But the laser’s heat can build up in the delicate parts being printed, causing deformation and other defects.

“This problem gets even more serious for parts with really thin features,” says Chinedum Okwudire, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan and corresponding author of the paper in Additive Manufacturing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... via%3Dihub
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China’s robot-built 3D-printed dam ready in 2 years: scientists

Published: 12:00pm, 8 May, 2022

China is using artificial intelligence to effectively turn a dam project on the Tibetan Plateau into the world’s largest 3D printer, according to scientists involved in the project.

The 180 metre (590 feet) high Yangqu hydropower plant will be built slice by slice – using unmanned excavators, trucks, bulldozers, pavers and rollers, all controlled by AI – in the same additive manufacturing process used in 3D printing.

When completed in 2024, the Yangqu dam will send nearly 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year from the upper reaches of the Yellow River to Henan, the cradle of Chinese civilisation and home to 100 million people.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science ... scientists
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Researchers develop 3D-printed shape memory alloy with superior superelasticity
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-3d-printe ... icity.html
by Michelle Revels, Texas A&M University
Laser powder bed fusion, a 3D-printing technique, offers potential in the manufacturing industry, particularly when fabricating nickel-titanium shape memory alloys with complex geometries. Although this manufacturing technique is attractive for applications in the biomedical and aerospace fields, it has rarely showcased the superelasticity required for specific applications using nickel-titanium shape memory alloys. Defects generated and changes imposed onto the material during the 3D-printing process prevented the superelasticity from appearing in 3D-printed nickel-titanium.

Researchers from Texas A&M University recently showcased superior tensile superelasticity by fabricating a shape memory alloy through laser powder bed fusion, nearly doubling the maximum superelasticity reported in literature for 3D printing.

This study was recently published in vol. 229 of the Acta Materialia journal.

Nickel-titanium shape memory alloys have various applications due to their ability to return to their original shape upon heating or upon removal of the applied stress. Therefore, they can be used in biomedical and aerospace fields for stents, implants, surgical devices and aircraft wings. However, developing and properly fabricating these materials requires extensive research to characterize functional properties and examine the microstructure.
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According to Concordia Researchers Direct Sound Printing is a Potential Game-Changer in 3D Printing
May 31, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Most 3D printing methods currently in use rely either on photo (light)- or thermo (heat)-activated reactions to achieve precise manipulation of polymers. The development of a new platform technology called direct sound printing (DSP), which uses soundwaves to produce new objects, may offer a third option.

The process is described in a paper published in Nature Communications. It shows how focused ultrasound waves can be used to create sonochemical reactions in minuscule cavitation regions — essentially tiny bubbles. Extremes of temperature and pressure lasting trillionths of a second can generate pre-designed complex geometries that cannot be made with existing techniques.

“Ultrasonic frequencies are already being used in destructive procedures like laser ablation of tissues and tumours. We wanted to use them to create something,” says Muthukumaran Packirisamy, a professor and Concordia Research Chair in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. He is the paper’s corresponding author.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/954410
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New natural hydrogel inks for digital light processing 3D printing

by Ingrid Fadelli , Tech Xplore
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-nat ... al-3d.html
Researchers at Politecnico di Torino, BRIN in Indonesia, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and University of Cagliari have recently introduced new composite hydrogel inks based on natural and environment friendly materials, which could be used to 3D print objects. These hydrogels, presented in a paper published in Sustainable Materials and Technologies, are based on acrylated-carboxymethyl cellulose (mCMC).

"We have been working on the development of new printable materials and functional devices since 2015, so in these years different areas were explored, resulting in many publications in the field of 3D printing," Ignazio Roppolo, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore.

The first objective of the work by Roppolo and his colleagues was to develop polymeric hydrogels for 3D printing that are based on natural resources, to increase sustainability and reduce the use of standard synthetic resins. In recent years, the team has been collaborating with Dr. Athanasia Amanda Septevani, a researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Environment and Clean Technology in Indonesia.
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INSSTEK ANNOUNCES NEW 3D PRINTING MILESTONES FOR MEDICAL AND AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS
JUNE 21ST 2022

Korean metal 3D printing company InssTek has announced a couple of significant milestones achieved with its various Direct Energy Deposition (DED) additive manufacturing technologies.

InssTek is proficient in Direct Metal Tooling (DMT) technology, having previously deployed it to repair parts of the South Korean Air Force’s F-15K fighter jets. Back in 2016, the company teamed up with Z3DLAB France to offer its customers the best in advanced materials for aerospace parts repair and medical implants. The company’s MX 1000 metal 3D printer was also the crowning glory of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech)’s Additive Manufacturing Laboratory upon its opening in 2017.

Now, the company’s technologies have contributed to the fabrication of a 3D printed artificial hip joint that has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and to the production of a multi-material rocket nozzle for the aerospace sector.

The first new development from InssTek is a 3D printed artificial hip joint and cup component, fabricated using its Metal Porous Coating (MPC) technology. MPC is a DED additive manufacturing technique that works by 3D printing patterns of porous structures onto the surface of artificial joints using medical-grade titanium powder.

The method differs from conventional techniques by melting and combining the artificial joint and titanium powders together to form one alloy, of which the optimal roughness and pore structure can be achieved.

Using its MPC technology, InssTek successfully coated a BENCOX Mirabo Z Cup Cortinium artificial hip joint cup manufactured by Korean artificial limb developer Corentec. The artificial joint has since received FDA approval, prompting InssTek to apply its MPC technology to cobalt-chromium alloys for artificial knee and ankle joints.
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/ins ... ns-211119/
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DESKTOP METAL UNVEILS NEW EXPANDABLE FOAM 3D PRINTING MATERIAL, FREEFOAM
JUNE 27TH 2022

Image

3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal has debuted FreeFoam, a new 3D printable photopolymer resin family that contains heat-activated foaming agents.

Invented by Texas-based materials specialist Adaptive3D, a Desktop Metal subsidiary acquired in 2021, FreeFoam can be programmed to expand anywhere between 2 to 7 times its original printed size without any tooling. The result is the production of tunable and durable closed cell foam parts, which are expected to see extensive use in sectors such as automotive, furniture, sporting goods, footwear, and healthcare.

Initially available exclusively on the ETEC Xtreme 8K DLP 3D printer, FreeFoam will be showcased at Foam Expo North America in Michigan from June 28-30. The Expo will feature a 3D printed FreeFoam car seat developed in partnership with Camaco.

“FreeFoam is one of the most exciting and commercially significant photopolymer solutions to come to market in the industrial printing space in years,” said Ric Fulop, founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “The market for conventionally manufactured foam has many challenges – from expensive molds that limit designs to dense and heavy foams that absorb water and are expensive to ship and drive, to the inability to easily dial in strength and Shore hardness values in specific foam designs.”
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/des ... am-211265/
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New 3D printing process is faster and more precise than conventional methods
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-08-3d- ... thods.html
by Greg Bruno, Rutgers University
Rutgers engineers have created a way to 3D print large and complex parts at a fraction of the cost of current methods.

They detail their work in the journal Additive Manufacturing.

"We have more tests to run to understand the strength and geometric potential of the parts we can make, but as long as those elements are there, we believe this could be a game changer for the industry," said Jeremy Cleeman, a graduate student researcher at the Rutgers School of Engineering and the lead author of the study.

The new approach, called Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication (MF3), uses a single gantry, the sliding structure on a 3D printer, to print individual or multiple parts simultaneously. By programming their prototype to move in efficient patterns, and by using a series of small nozzles—rather than a single large nozzle, as is common in conventional printing—to deposit molten material, the researchers were able to increase printing resolution and size as well as significantly decrease printing time.

"MF3 will change how thermo-plastic printing is done," said Cleeman, noting his team has applied for a U.S. patent for their technology.

The 3D-printing industry has struggled with what is known as the throughput-resolution tradeoff—the speed at which 3D printers deposit material versus the resolution of the finished product. Larger-diameter nozzles are faster than smaller ones but generate more ridges and contours that must be smoothed out later, adding significant post-production costs.

By contrast, smaller nozzles deposit material with greater resolution, but current methods with conventional software are too slow to be cost effective.

At the heart of MF3's innovation is its software. To program a 3D printer, engineers use a software tool called a slicer—computer code that maps an object into the virtual "slices," or layers, that will be printed. Rutgers researchers wrote slicer software that optimized the gantry arm's movement and determined when the nozzles should be turned on and off to achieve the highest efficiency. MF3's new "toolpath strategy" makes it possible to "concurrently print multiple, geometrically distinct, non-contiguous parts of varying sizes" using a single printer, the researchers wrote in their study.
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New Granular Hydrogel Bioink Could Expand Possibilities for Tissue Bioprinting
September 1, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Every day in the United States, 17 people die waiting for an organ transplant, and every nine minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. One potential solution to alleviate the shortage is to develop biomaterials that can be three-dimensionally (3D) printed as complex organ shapes, capable of hosting cells and forming tissues. Attempts so far, though, have fallen short, with the so-called bulk hydrogel bioinks failing to integrate into the body properly and support cells in thick tissue constructs.

Now, Penn State researchers have developed a novel nanoengineered granular hydrogel bioink that makes use of self-assembling nanoparticles and hydrogel microparticles, or microgels, to achieve previously unattained levels of porosity, shape fidelity and cell integration.

The team published their approach in the journal Small.

Read more of the EurekAlert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963547

For a technical presentation of the approach as published in the journal Small: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ep ... 202202390
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New 3D printing process offers novel energy storage design options
https://phys.org/news/2022-09-3d-energy ... tions.html
by Neil Martin, University of New South Wales
UNSW engineers have developed a process to print solid-state polymer electrolytes into any shape desired for use in energy storage.

The research team from the School of Chemical Engineering led by Professor Cyrille Boyer, including Dr. Nathaniel Corrigan and Kenny Lee—say the 3D printing process of such material could be particularly useful in future medical devices where small, intricately designed energy storage offers a number of benefits.

Solid-state electrolytes are a key component in solid-state batteries, although traditionally they have suffered from poor performance due to low ionic conductivities or poor mechanical properties.
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