A team of engineers from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) has developed an ink based on elastic polymers (elastomers) able to print objects in 3D with material properties that can change and without the need for mechanical joints in its composition.
3D printing, used in areas such as robotics or the aerospace industryis a technology that allows creating three-dimensional objects from a digital model, depositing successive layers of materials such as elastomers.
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These can be manufactured with a variety of properties ranging from rigid to elastic, which makes them a very popular material for this type of applications.
However, manufacturing elastomers that can be shaped into 3D structures capable of changing their composition from flexible to rigid had been unfeasible until now.
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3d print.
“Elastomers are generally molded so that their composition cannot change in three dimensions on short length scales.“added in the statement the responsible for the research and director of the EPFL Soft Materials Laboratory, Esther Amstad.
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To solve this problem, the team led by Amsterdam developed a type of 3D-printable double-network granular elastomers called DNGEwhich can vary its mechanical properties in an unprecedented way.
The versatility of these elastomers lies in their composition, with a first network of swollen elastomer microparticles from oil-in-water emulsion drops, which are added to the 3D printable ink to create the desired structure of the objects.
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When these elastomers are absorbed, a second network is generated that gives rigidity to the object.
3D printing (reference image)
Then, based on these elastomers, engineers printed a prototype of a human finger with “bones“rigid surrounded by”meat“flexible capable of deforming in a predefined way, thus demonstrating the potential of this new technology.
The finding, published in the specialized journal Advanced Materials, also provides greater durability to 3D prints, since the use of elastomers instead of hydrogels (material used in the most recent research in this field) allows the creation of water-free structures, which makes them more stable over time.
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Additionally, the researchers point out that another advantage is that DNGE-type elastomers can be printed using commercially available 3D printers, so anyone who has a standard printer of this type will be able to manufacture them.
Regarding future applications of this advance, the team points out that it could be useful for the manufacture of assisted rehabilitation devices for patients with partial or complete loss of movement, as well as for the creation of prostheses or even movement guides to help surgeons in medical interventions.
EFE
