3D Printing of Composite Materials

Can robotic 3D printing produce structural parts for autonomous boats? At Holit , we recently explored this question in a feasibility study for an automated Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) using large-scale robotic pellet 3D printing. To test the concept, we designed and printed a full USV hull just over 1 meter long, produced in ~10 hours of robotic printing. The design integrates a custom internal pattern in the central section to increase stiffness while keeping the structure lightweight. The internal structure was specifically developed to balance stiffness and weight for this type of marine application. The final part weighs around 8 kg. The part was printed using FGFT HIPC (High Impact Performance Composite), a fiber-reinforced material developed for applications where impact resistance, strength, and durability are important. At Holit , we regularly explore new materials and applications to understand where robotic additive manufacturing can create real engineering value. #AdditiveManufacturing #Robotic3DPrinting #LargeScale3DPrinting #MarineTechnology #AutonomousSystems

Interested in sustainable materials for #3Dprinting via #FusedFilamentFabrication (FFF)? Delighted to share our latest collaborative research on a novel #thermoplastic #PLA-based #biocomposite reinforced with short #yucca #fibers (from Algeria), extracted using both traditional and water retting methods. With only 1 wt% of traditionally extracted fiber, we enhanced: 🔹 +31% tensile strength (61 MPa) 🔹 +27% compressive strength (89 MPa) 🔹 +66% fatigue life (40,185 cycles) 🔹 thermal stability (Tmax = 394 °C) This is another sustainably engineered composite for the FFF 3D printing materials library, with high potential for durable consumer product applications. You may please pead the full paper <https://lnkd.in/eR-cM3DS> and share your thoughts. Researchers: Med Amine Kacem, Moussa Guebailia, Mohammadreza Lalegani, Said Abdi, Pr Sabba Nassila, Ali Zolfagharian, Mahdi Bodaghi.

Researchers developed a hybrid bioprinting platform—the Hybprinter—that combines molten material extrusion for rigid polymers like PCL with DLP bioprinting for soft, cell-laden hydrogels. This approach enables continuous fabrication of multi-material constructs that are both mechanically strong and biologically active. For example, rigid bone-like scaffolds infused with soft, cell-supportive hydrogels. Compared to hydrogel-only prints, the hybrid structures achieved a 1000× increase in mechanical strength and could even be sutured, bridging the gap between lab-printed tissues and surgical handling. The researchers used GelMA for their DLP-printed hydrogel components, but other photocrosslinkable materials such as CollPlant’s methacrylated recombinant type I human collagen could be explored for similar applications. Read the full publication: https://lnkd.in/ggPsJG2v #3dbioprinting #tissueengineering #cellculture

A Band-Aid for the heart? A new way to 3D print material elastic enough to withstand a heart’s persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load placed on joints, and easily shapable to fit a patient’s unique defects. University of Colorado Boulder and University of Pennsylvania. Brief video. August 01, 2024 Excerpt: The breakthrough, described in Aug. 2 edition of the journal Science, helps pave the way toward a new generation of biomaterials, from internal bandages that deliver drugs directly to the heart to cartilage patches and needle-free sutures. “Cardiac and cartilage tissues are similar in that they have very limited capacity to repair themselves. When they’re damaged, there is no turning back,” said senior author Jason Burdick, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute. “By developing new, more resilient materials to enhance the repair process, we can have a big impact on patients.” Historically, biomedical devices have been created via molding or casting, techniques which work well for mass production of identical implants but not practical when it comes to personalizing implants for specific patients. In recent years, 3D printing has opened a world of new possibilities for medical applications by allowing researchers to make materials in many shapes and structures. Unlike typical printers, 3D printers deposit layer after layer of plastics, metals or living cells to create multidimensional objects. One specific material, hydrogel (utilized in contact lenses), a favorite prospect for fabricating artificial tissues, organs and implants. Until now 3D-printed hydrogels tend to break when stretched, crack under pressure or are too stiff to mold around tissues. To achieve strength and elasticity within 3D printed hydrogels, Burdick and colleagues observed worms, which repeatedly tangle and untangle themselves around one another in three-dimensional “worm blobs” that have solid and liquid-like properties. Previous research has shown incorporating similarly intertwined chains of molecules, “entanglements,” can make them tougher. Note: The new printing method, CLEAR (Continuous-curing after Light Exposure Aided by Redox initiation), follows a series of steps to entangle long molecules inside 3D-printed materials much like those intertwined worms. “We can now 3D print adhesive materials strong enough to mechanically support tissue,” said co-first author Matt Davidson, a research associate in the Burdick Lab. “We have never been able to do that before.” Burdick imagines a day when 3D-printed materials could be used to repair defects in hearts, deliver tissue-regenerating drugs directly to organs or cartilage, restrain bulging discs or stitch patients in the operating room without inflicting tissue damage as a needle and suture can. Link to brief video and recently published research enclosed.

In aerospace and defense manufacturing, one of the trickiest challenges has long been creating hollow composite structures with internal geometries that would typically require labor-intensive, multi-step tooling and sacrificial core removal. However, using 3D-printed wash-away cores is changing all of that. Its cores are printed with binder jet technology, coated for composite lay-up, and then washed out, eliminating severe distortion and the pain of manual extraction. The approach lets engineers create complex mandrels with controlled thermal expansion and isotropic behavior during autoclave curing, but also allows reuse of the wash-out material, adding a sustainability advantage.

Hemp hurds, particularly in their micronized form (e.g., 150 microns), are increasingly explored as a sustainable additive for 3D printing filaments and composites. When processed into fine powders, hemp hurds can be blended with polymers like PLA (polylactic acid) to create biocomposite filaments. These filaments enhance the material's strength, reduce its weight, and improve its environmental footprint. The natural cellulose content of hemp hurds contributes to the filament's rigidity and dimensional stability, making it suitable for various applications, including prototypes, tools, and consumer products. Additionally, incorporating hemp hurds into 3D printing materials reduces reliance on petroleum-based plastics, supports carbon sequestration, and leverages a renewable resource. This approach aligns with sustainable manufacturing practices while providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative for 3D printing enthusiasts and industries.

Amirali Khalili: The method introduced involves embedded 3D printing to fabricate structural electrolytes using polymerized ionic liquids (pILs). This technique addresses limitations in current fabrication methods, allowing for complex 3D forms with programmable properties. The modular design enables the creation of lightweight, free-standing lattices with diverse functionalities. The study characterizes rheological and mechanical behaviors, showcasing self-sensing capabilities during cyclic compression. The approach has broad applications in sensors, soft robotics, bioelectronics, and energy storage devices. Read more details: https://lnkd.in/eQSMz9af • • #3Dprinting • #AdditiveManufacturing • #3Dprinter • #3Dprinted • #tranpham • www.tranpham.com • Like 👍 what you see ► Repost ♻️, or Hit the Bell 🔔 to follow me. #polymerscience #3dprinting

Syntactic foams are widely used in autonomous and manned underwater vehicles used in deep sea exploration. Our latest paper develops a new method for 3D printing thermosetting resin syntactic foams. The work describes use of rheological measurements to substantially reduce the effort needed to develop print parameters for each composition of syntactic foams in a dynamic light scattering based additive manufacturing method. The lead author Caleb Beckwith (a PhD student) worked with two extremely bright and hard working undergraduate students Juan Fadhel and Andrew Park, who conducted numerous 3D printing and testing experiments, to solve many challenges in this work and publish it in a high impact journal. The full text paper is available for free access until October 5, 2025 through this link (direct searching on the journal website requires subscription): https://lnkd.in/eqsvdtx5 NYU Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, #syntacticfoam, #UUV, #deepsea, #composites, #compositematerials, #additivemanufacturing, #3Dprinting.