Plastic 3D-printed parts are mechanically weak — a flaw caused by the imperfect bonding between the individual printed layers that make up the 3D part.
Researchers at Texas A&M University, in collaboration with scientists in the company Essentium, Inc., have now developed the technology needed to overcome 3D printing’s “weak spot.” By integrating plasma science and carbon nanotube technology into standard 3D printing, the team welded adjacent printed layers more effectively, increasing the overall reliability of the final part.
“Finding a way to remedy the inadequate bonding between printed layers has been an ongoing quest in the 3D-printing field,” Dr. Micah Green said. “We have now developed a sophisticated technology that can bolster welding between these layers all while printing the 3D part.”
To promote inter-layer bonding, the team turned to carbon nanotubes. Since these carbon particles heat in response to electrical currents, the researchers coated the surface of each printed layer with these nanomaterials. Similar to the heating effect of microwaves on food, these carbon nanotube coatings can be heated using electric currents, allowing the printed layers to bond together.
The team collaborated with Dr. David Staack to generate a beam of charged air particles, or plasma, that could carry an electrical charge to the surface of the printed part, allowing electric currents to pass through the printed part, heating the nanotubes and welding the layers together.
With the plasma technology and the carbon nanotube-coated thermoplastic material in place, Texas A&M and Essentium researchers added both these components to conventional 3D printers. When the researchers tested the strength of 3D-printed parts using their new technology, they found that the strength was comparable to injection-molded parts.
Featured Researchers
Dr. Micah Green
- Professor
- Nancy and Dan Zivney ‘73 Faculty Fellow
- Director of the Graduate Program
Dr. David Staack
- Associate Professor (Mechanical Engineering)
- Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Career
- Development Professor
- Director, Engineering Laboratory Instruction