Flexible Materials for 3D Printing

3D printing method to create structures with directional fibers in situ during printing. The method involves using a multi-phase ink with a continuous phase and discrete phase. During extrusion, the discrete phase fibers form within the continuous phase due to shear forces. This allows creating structures with oriented fibers inside without preloading short fibers. The orientation can be controlled by the ink composition and printing parameters. The method enables manufacturing of directional microfilament/through-hole hydrogel structures, composite hydrogel oriented structures, and oriented hydrogel scaffolds.

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3D printing method to create deformable 3D objects with reduced deformation forces during printing. The method involves printing deformable filaments on a deformable substrate using a 3D printer. The filament volume flow rate is controlled to reduce the deformation force applied to the substrate. This allows forming intricate, void-free 3D articles with reduced deformation compared to conventional printing methods. The deformable substrate and filaments enable higher complexity structures with reduced deformation. The reduced deformation forces prevent tilting and warping during printing. The controlled flow rate avoids deformation while still providing void-free layers.

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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 nano clay and water composition. 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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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 that has 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, magnetic fields control liquid crystal alignment during printing.

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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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The additive manufacturing method for customizing 3D printed footwear using selective powder deposition, curing, and shaping. The process involves spraying a liquid to coat select areas of a sheet, applying powder only to uncoated areas, and removing excess powder via suction. The sheets are stacked, compressed, heated, and cured. Uncured powder is removed, leaving a flexible, flat sheet that can be molded into a 3D shoe upper. The method allows different material properties in different areas of the product.

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Smart rings are wearables that have improved fit, charging, customization, and interactivity over conventional rings. The smart ring has a flexible body with removable parts that can be customized to fit the user's finger. Magnetic break-away portions secure the parts together, allowing the ring to be adjusted for a better fit. The ring can also have sensors, batteries, and other components to provide functionality like biometric tracking. The ring can be additively manufactured using 3D printing and scanning to create user-specific designs.

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A laser manufacturing method for making flexible sensors that can conformally attach to curved 3D surfaces. The method involves coating a laser-sensitive material directly onto the curved surface and then using a 3D dynamic focus laser system to pattern and cure the material into the desired flexible sensor structure. This allows the sensor to be manufactured directly on the curved surface instead of using transfer printing or splitting 2D patterns. The laser conformal manufacturing achieves precise sensor attachment to the curved surface.

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A method for 3D printing complex shapes with overhangs and apertures that allows simpler and more efficient printing compared to existing methods. The method involves printing a 3D structure in a first plane, cooling it, heating one surface, deforming it in a second plane, cooling the deformed structure, and printing is complete. The deformation step lets you print complex shapes with overhangs and apertures without support structures by bending the printed material in a different plane.

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Additive manufacturing method for printing soft materials like silicones that deform after extrusion. The method involves using a support material surrounding the extrusion nozzle and depositing the soft material within it. The support material prevents warping and helps the soft material retain shape. The printing process also optimizes parameters like printing speed and flow setting to match the deformable ink properties. The support bath is dissolved after printing to release the object. The slicing software is modified to account for the unique filament morphology and deformability of soft materials in embedded printing.

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Elastic polymer structure with controlled porosity and roughness for applications like vehicle seats. The structure is made by 3D printing using selective laser sintering (SLS) with thermoplastic powder, then post-processing at specific pressure and temperature to reduce porosity below 0.16 and surface roughness below 400 nm. This prevents moisture penetration and deformation while improving texture compared to unprocessed 3D printed parts.

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3D printing thermosetting materials like urethane resins to create objects with overhangs without support structures. The printing process involves depositing layers of thermoset material with offset bead placement. This allows the thermoset to cure and form a scaffold before the next layer is printed. By adjusting parameters like print speed, flow rate, and residence time, the thermoset can be controlled to prevent sagging and collapse. The offset bead placement provides stability for overhangs without requiring support structures.

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Freeform 3D printing of polymeric materials using a liquid build material, solvent, and nebulized coagulation agent. The method involves dispensing the liquid build material into air, spraying a coagulation agent nearby to partially coagulate it, then repeating for subsequent layers. The partial coagulation allows building without supports. The printed part is further coagulated post-printing to fully solidify. The solvent evaporates during printing. This allows 3D printing of soft, non-melting polymers at room temp without thermal residual stress.

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A method for 3D printing highly porous structures using melt suspension additive manufacturing. The method involves suspending the material in a liquid during printing instead of extruding it. This allows printing of structures with internal voids and cantilevered overhangs without support structures. The process involves: 1) mixing the print material with an oil, 2) feeding the suspension through a nozzle, 3) depositing the suspension layer by layer, and 4) curing the printed structure to solidify it. The oil allows the suspended material to maintain shape without gravity collapse. The cured structure has internal voids and can be easily removed from the oil.

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A 3D printed structure with expanded dimensions when heated. The structure is made by 3D printing a mixture of a thermoplastic material and a thermal expansion material. The thermoplastic material is 50-90% of the total weight, and the thermal expansion material is 10-50% of the total weight. When the printed object is heated, the thermal expansion material expands more than the thermoplastic material, causing the overall structure to expand proportionally. This allows rapid production of complex shapes with the 3D printer, as the expansion occurs during post-processing heating rather than during printing.

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Method for 3D printing complex shapes with improved strength and formability. The method involves using filaments with one end bonded to a substrate when printing. This prevents the filament from curling inside the printer nozzle. The bonded filament is then extruded onto the substrate using a 3D printer. By adhering the filament to the substrate, it can be stretched and controlled during printing, avoiding curling and enabling accurate shape formation.

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3D printing method for preparing shape-free self-deformable shape memory smart materials without requiring manual shaping. The method involves pre-stretching the extruded filaments during 3D printing by adjusting the distance between the extruder head and bottom plate. This imparts prestress that can be fixed into temporary shapes. The printed samples can then spontaneously deform when heated above the glass transition temperature due to the stored prestress. By varying printing height and angles, multi-mode self-deformation is achieved. The 3D printed shape-free self-deformable shape memory smart materials have applications in areas like space systems, underwater robots, and self-assembly systems where remote self-deformation is desired.

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3D printing complex objects with custom properties by additively manufacturing them layer by layer using a print compound containing multiple silicone rubber compositions. The print compound is applied as droplets onto a build platform and crosslinked to form the object. The silicone compositions can have different colors, hardnesses, or chemical functionalities to create composite structures with segments made of different materials. The method allows printing objects with customized shapes and properties by combining silicone rubber segments with other materials.

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Method to prepare 3D printing smart deformable materials that can be printed with complex shapes and large deformations. The method involves modifying polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a high-performance plastic with shape memory, to make it suitable for 3D printing while retaining its deformation properties. The modification involves adding a compounding agent that improves the printability of PEEK at higher temperatures without degrading its shape memory. This allows 3D printing of complex structures with gradients, biomimicry, spirals, and microfeatures that have large deformations.

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