Elastic 3D Object Printing Techniques and Improvements

A porous structural body made of flexible resin or rubber configured to increase friction between split bone parts when compressed to deform. The body has a skeleton throughout with split bone parts that rub against each other when compressed. This increases friction compared to continuous bones. The split bone parts are non-parallel, inclined, or surrounded to enhance rubbing. The friction adjustment allows tuning dynamic characteristics like cushioning response.

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3D printing silicone elastomer articles with complex shapes using water-based supports that can be easily removed and recycled. The method involves 3D printing a silicone elastomer with a cross-linkable composition and support with a composition containing nano clay and water. The clay-water support is compatible with the silicone printing material and allows for printing complex shapes. The support can be dissolved and reused after printing.

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Foam particles are used in additive manufacturing (3D printing) to make articles like athletic equipment. The method involves arranging foam particles of thermoplastic elastomers and using energy beams like lasers to selectively heat and fuse the foam particles together. This allows the article to be constructed layer by layer.

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Body-mounted components like orthoses have improved flexibility and resistance to breakage when bent. The components are made by 3D printing using a resin material with high elongation at break when stretched. This elongation property allows the 3D-printed parts to bend and stretch without breaking.

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3D printed structures made from liquid crystal elastomers that can change shape in response to environmental stimuli. The structures are printed using stereolithography and have segments in different orientations to enable 3D-to-3D shape change. To achieve this, liquid crystal alignment is controlled during printing using magnetic fields.

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3D printing of elastomeric rubber seals using a 3D printer with two print heads. The first head extrudes the rubber material, which is heated and mixed in an extruder like a screw to cure it partially. The extruder is also heated. The second head prints a support structure of a more rigid material around the rubber layers to prevent sagging. The rubber layers are printed on a heated bed.

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Customizable vehicle cushion components made using 3D printing with lattice structures of interconnected 3D cells. The lattice cells in the cushion can have different geometries and elastic moduli to achieve varying levels of support and comfort. For example, face-centered cubic lattice cells can provide higher modulus support, while body-centered cubic cells can provide lower modulus cushioning. The lattice sections can be integrated into a single monolithic structure.

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Customizable 3D printed trim articles, like headrest buns, are made from a lattice matrix with tunable elastic modulus. The lattice is 3D printed with additive manufacturing techniques. The lattice is printed in sections, and the curing time of each section is adjusted to vary its stiffness. Longer curing times increase the elastic modulus of the lattice. The overall lattice can be customized for different stiffness regions by printing sections with different curing times and moduli.

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3D printed structures with controlled flexibility and counterforce for applications like shoes, seats, and padding. The structures have walls made of alternating layers of flexible and rigid materials. The rigid layers provide structural integrity, while the flexible layers allow deformation. The rigid layer rigidity exceeds the flexible layer rigidity. This configuration allows the structure to compress without collapsing fully, absorbing force, and returning to shape. The flexible layers deform first, preventing the collapse of the rigid layers.

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A method for 4D printing ceramic objects with shape-shifting capabilities. The method involves extruding ceramic precursor inks to form elastic ceramic structures, subjecting them to tensile stress, then joining and releasing the stress to allow the structures to morph into a 4D printed elastomeric object. This object is then converted into the final 4D printed ceramic object through pyrolysis or oxidation. The elastic precursor inks allow shaping and morphing during printing, while the conversion process transforms them into rigid ceramic.

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3D printing objects with user-defined material properties like elasticity by using microstructures to approximate the desired behavior. The method involves generating a library of microstructures that can be combined during 3D printing to provide elements of an object with desired material parameters. The microstructures are designed to have specific elasticity values. By printing varying configurations of these microstructures within an object, it allows extending the range of reproducible materials using single-material 3D printers. It approximates multi-material objects without needing multi-material printers.

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