{"id":49328,"date":"2024-10-29T10:55:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T14:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/case\/?post_type=news&p=49328"},"modified":"2024-10-29T10:57:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T14:57:35","slug":"turning-3d-printings-biggest-flaw-into-its-smartest-feature","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/case\/news\/turning-3d-printings-biggest-flaw-into-its-smartest-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning 3D Printing\u2019s Biggest Flaw into its Smartest Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever watched a 3D printer in action, it\u2019s mesmerizing\u2014voxel by voxel and layer by layer, an object materializes before your eyes. But beneath this seemingly flawless process lurks a fundamental weakness: the interfaces where those voxels meet are inherently weak, leading to premature breaks or cracks. Now, civil and systems engineers at Johns Hopkins University have not only solved this longstanding problem; they\u2019ve transformed these former flaws into a multifunctional feature.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 3D printing, interfaces are notorious for creating vulnerabilities,\u201d said Assistant Professor in Whiting School of Engineering\u2019s Department of Civil and Systems Engineering and corresponding study author Jochen Mueller<\/a>. \u201cThe printed material either adheres too much or too little, resulting in structural weaknesses. It\u2019s similar to the way spaghetti sticks together after cooking, but easily pulls apart. This creates flaws that limit the functionality of 3D-printed products.\u201d<\/p>\n

To combat this, the team has developed a new printing technique, known as voxel interface 3D printing, or VI3DP, that allows them to precisely control interfaces and how they function, including properties like adhesion\u2014how well different layers or materials stick together. The team says its work, which appears in Advanced Materials<\/em><\/a>, has the potential to customize the behavior of 3D-printed objects.<\/p>\n

VI3DP uses a printhead equipped with a standard nozzle ringed by four additional nozzles. While the standard nozzle deposits material, these additional nozzles add a thin film of different material on top. This allows the interface between each 3D printed line to be controlled and customized in both single- and multi-material printing, eliminating the need for multiple printheads and unnecessary gaps or features in an object.<\/p>\n

Beyond creating stronger prints, VI3DP also opens up a range of new applications for 3D-printed objects. In the study, the team demonstrates how they can integrate optical, mechanical, and electrical properties into the interfaces\u2014all in a single print and without increasing weight, time, or cost.<\/p>\n

Doctoral candidate Daniel Ames said that \u201cadding mechanical, optical, or electrical properties is already possible using some 3D printing processes, including material extrusion and material jetting, but those processes require the properties to be added as entire voxels, rather than thin interfaces surrounding the voxels, significantly reducing throughput and resolution. Our method makes these properties feasible at a fraction of the voxel size, expanding the range and type of applications for soft materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

By embedding interfaces with physical properties, the new technology offers an unprecedented level of functional control in 3D printing, the researchers say.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterfaces are extremely crucial because of what they can enable,\u201d said Mueller. \u201cVI3DP has the potential to produce thinner interfaces, new material combinations, and integrated functions like complex 3D circuits, electromechanical devices, data-embedded composite structures, and print-in-place mechanisms with precise fittings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team plans to investigate these potential improvements in future research.<\/p>\n

\u201cVI3DP is a strong foundation for future fabrication developments. We\u2019ll be able to print complex structures that have never been possible before,\u201d said Ames.<\/p>\n

Study collaborators include Johns Hopkins University doctoral candidate Sarah Propst and visiting high school scholar Aadarsh Shah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-49328","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-mechanics-of-materials","news_categories-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTurning 3D Printing\u2019s Biggest Flaw into its Smartest Feature - Department of Civil & Systems Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/case\/news\/turning-3d-printings-biggest-flaw-into-its-smartest-feature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turning 3D Printing\u2019s Biggest Flaw into its Smartest Feature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Johns Hopkins engineers have developed a new method for controlling interfaces on a voxel (3D pixel) scale to customize an object\u2019s physical behavior and appearance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/case\/news\/turning-3d-printings-biggest-flaw-into-its-smartest-feature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Department of Civil & Systems Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-29T14:57:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Voxel-Interface-Image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"4096\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3072\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turning 3D Printing\u2019s Biggest Flaw into its Smartest Feature - 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