Ultrasonic 3D printing arrives

ultrasound

A team of engineers from the Bristol University has managed to surprise almost the entire scientific community after developing a new type of 3D printing that can create objects through composite material through the use of ultrasound, a very interesting technology that will allow the creation of high-performance elements such as golf clubs. , airplanes or tennis rackets, for example, where composite materials are used for their manufacture.

As has been published, with this novel technique ultrasonic waves are used to carefully place millions of tiny reinforcing fibers as part of the 3D manufacturing process, which in turn greatly increases their strength. These fibers are created in a microscopic reinforcing frame that gives the material strength. This microstructure is then established, using a focused laser, which locally treats the epoxy resin to subsequently print the desired object.

Based on the first tests carried out on this type of ultrasound technology, the team achieved a 20mm / s print speed which is very similar to that offered by the additive layer techniques commonly used by all neutral printers. The real novelty is that thanks to this technique a plane of fibers can be mounted in a reinforcing frame, even controlling the orientation of the fibers by controlling the ultrasonic standing wave in the middle of printing.

This approach allows the realization of complex fibrous architectures within a 3D printed object. The versatile nature of the ultrasonic manipulation technique also allows a wide range of particulate materials, shapes, and sizes to be assembled, leading to the creation of a new generation of fibrous reinforced composite materials which can be 3D printed.

Via | Bristol


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