3D Printing Research

Researchers from the University of Delaware (UD) have released a new research paper exploring ways of economically upcycling biomass into new 3D printing materials. Funded by the National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research (NSF GCR) program, the paper focuses on lignin, a waste product left over from making paper products, and demonstrates that it is possible to efficiently turn it into bio-based 3D printing resins in an approach they claim is competitive with similar petroleum-based products.  “The ability to take something like technical lignin and not only break it down and turn it into a useful product, but to do it at a cost and an environmental impact that is lower than petroleum materials is something that no one has really been able to show before,” said Thomas Epps, NSF GCR lead at UD. One of the end-products the UD researchers and colleagues are investigating is the creation of bio-resins…    read more 

Researchers at University College London (UCL), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) and biopharma firm FabRx, have managed to convert an everyday smartphone into an on-demand personalized drug 3D printer.  Using the visible light created by a mobile phone screen, the modified M3DIMAKER LUX system has already proven capable of 3D printing blood-thinning tablets in specific shapes, sizes and dosages. Operable via a user-friendly app, it’s hoped that with further R&D, the team’s machine could be deployed in future by those living in isolated areas, under the remote supervision of GPs to ensure patient safety.  “This novel system would help people who need precise dosages that differ from how a medication is typically sold, as well as people whose required dosage may change regularly,” said the study’s lead author Xiaoyan Xu. “The tablet’s shape and size are also customizable, which enables flexibility in the rate at which the medication gets…    read more 

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) and German machine tool manufacturer TRUMPF have signed a cooperation agreement to accelerate the transfer of technology to industry within the field of laser metal deposition. The partners will combine their respective expertise in laser system technologies and application-specific know-how to carry out research and development into improving the productivity, speed, materials, and processes of laser material deposition for their customers. “Our core business is developing application-adapted processes and system technology components,” said Dr Thomas Schopphoven, Head of the Laser Material Deposition Competence Area at Fraunhofer ILT. “The basis for this is our 30 years of experience in laser material deposition – in applications we have developed for a wide variety of industries. “When we transfer our technologies to industrial applications, our customers are increasingly focusing on the questions of systems engineering implementation, especially with regard to the availability, stability, and suitability of…    read more 

An international team of scientists led by Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory has used 3D printing technology to develop a novel set of microscopic nanomagnets. Created using a custom 3D printing process, the nanomagnets are in the shape of a DNA-inspired double helix. According to the research team, this unconventional structure lends itself to strong magnetic field interactions between the helices in a manner never seen before. Specifically, by twisting around one another, the 3D printed helices produce nanoscale topological textures in the magnetic field they generate. The team believes it can harness this phenomenon to closely control magnetic forces at the nanoscale, paving the way for ‘next generation’ magnetic devices. Claire Donnelly, first author of the study, explains, “This new ability to pattern the magnetic field at this length scale allows us to define what forces will be applied to magnetic materials and to understand how far we can go…    read more 

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER) have developed a novel set of microscopic gas sensors using 3D printing technology. Designed to mimic the color-changing feathers of a peacock, the 3D printed sensors are capable of changing colors in the presence of certain solvent vapors. As such, they can be used to provide a very visual manner of detecting hazardous pollutants, all while being cost-effective to manufacture. The team believes its devices could have major implications for real-time gas monitoring in homes, cars, and workplaces, as well as in wearable devices for personal health applications. Professor Larisa Florea, a co-author of the study, explains, “We have created responsive, printed, microscopic optical structures which can be monitored in real-time, and used for the detection of gases. The ability to print such an optically responsive material has profound potential for their incorporation…    read more