3D Printing Research

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Georgia Tech with two 2022 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards totaling around $14 million. One of the projects, titled Programming Multistable Origami and Kirigami Structures via Topological Design, looks at how principles from the art of paper folding can be used in conjunction with 3D printing to design lightweight and flexible structures capable of changing shape. The aim is to enable structures that can transition between a wide variety of stable geometries to perform specific actions or adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions. The work is expected to have applications in everything from 3D printed multifunctional robotics to morphing bridges and collapsible radiofrequency components such as antennae. Georgia Tech campus. Photo via Georgia Tech. The MURI awards MURIs are awarded as part of a highly competitive DoD program designed to support teams of researchers that conduct work that may one day be…    read more 

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a new abrasion-based method of producing metal powders for 3D printing. The approach is designed to provide an alternative to atomization, the technique by which most metal powders are currently produced. In atomization, a gas or water jet is used to break up a molten stream of metal into tiny droplets, which form powder particles once cooled. Unfortunately, despite it being the gold standard in the industry, atomization-based powder production can suffer from poor material yield, it can be cost-inefficient, and it’s only compatible with a limited number of metals. The IISc approach aims to address these shortcomings. Priti Ranjan Panda, a Ph.D. student at IISc’s Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing, said, “We have an alternative, more economical and inherently scalable route for making metal powders, and the quality of the final powders appear to be very competitive when…    read more 

Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed an artificial fingertip with the potential to allow amputees to ‘feel’ objects through prosthetic limbs.  Formed from a series of 3D printed papillae, akin to those found just beneath the surface of human skin, the team’s ‘TacTip’ device is capable of sensing shapes before relaying this data in the form of artificial nerve signals. With further R&D, the researchers say their synthetic fingertip could revolutionize the world of robotics, or help improve the grip of those with prosthetic hands around the world. “Our work helps uncover how the complex internal structure of human skin creates our human sense of touch,” says Bristol Robotics Lab’s Professor Nathan Lepora. “This is an exciting development in the field of soft robotics – being able to 3D print tactile skin could create robots that are more dexterous or significantly improve the performance of prosthetic hands by…    read more 

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a new 3D printing approach that could serve as a much lower-cost means of creating high-resolution parts than Two Photon Polymerization (TPP).  As opposed to the expensive femtosecond lasers required to cure materials during TPP, the team’s less pricey method involves deploying an LED visible light source, at a significantly lower intensity. Despite this, the engineers’ ‘Triplet-Triplet Annihilation’ (TTA) process is still able to achieve submicrometer feature sizes, hence they say it could now “open the door to low-cost submicron resolution fabrication.” A set of samples produced via the researchers’ TTA 3D printing process. Image via the University of Massachusetts Amherst. High-res printing for the people  Even though the researchers have developed their fresh approach as an alternative to TPP, they accept that the latter continues to represent a viable means of 3D printing at extremely high resolutions. Typically capable of…    read more 

Engineers in the US and Australia have gained a significant amount of funding to further their research into novel aerospace and electronics 3D printing applications.  Over in Australia, Hypersonix Launch Systems has been awarded $2.95 million by the nation’s government to fund the development of a hydrogen-powered UAV, which it’s building using 3D printing ‘where possible.’ In the US, meanwhile, NextFlex has issued $17 million to projects seeking to advance the R&D of flexible electronics, including 3D printed Radio Frequency (RF) and hypersonic flight-related parts.  ”This latest round of projects focus broadly on critical FHE manufacturing developments that have been prioritized in the NextFlex FHE Manufacturing Roadmaps,” said Malcolm Thompson, PhD, an Executive Director at NextFlex. “These projects will develop groundbreaking capabilities that will transition to industrial practice and benefit US manufacturing.” A diagram of the upcoming Hypersonix ‘DART AE’ UAV. Image via the University of Southern Queensland. NextFlex in…    read more