Scientists develop a novel and surprisingly simple method to print 3D structures made of metal and plastic, paving the way for 3D electronics
Scientists develop a novel and surprisingly simple method to print 3D structures made of metal and plastic, paving the way for 3D electronics
Current 3D printers employ either plastic or metal only, and the conventional method to coat 3D plastic structures with metal is not environment-friendly and yields poor results. Now, scientists from Waseda University, Japan, have developed a metal–plastic hybrid 3D printing technique that produces plastic structures with a highly adhesive metal coating on desired areas. This approach extends the use of 3D printers to 3D electronics for future robotics and Internet-of-Things applications.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has evolved tremendously over the last decade to the point where it is now viable for mass production in industrial settings. Also known as “additive manufacturing,” 3D printing allows one to create arbitrarily complex 3D objects directly from their raw materials. In fused filament fabrication, the most popular 3D printing process, a plastic or metal is melted and extruded through a small nozzle by a printer head and then immediately solidifies and fuses with the rest of the piece. However, because the melting points of plastics and metals are very different, this technology has been limited to creating objects of either metal or plastic only—until now.
In a recent study published in Additive Manufacturing, scientists from Waseda University, Japan, developed a new hybrid technique that can produce 3D objects made of both metal and plastic. Professor Shinjiro Umezu, who led the study, explains their motivation: “Even though 3D printers let us create 3D structures from metal and plastic, most of the objects we see around us are a combination of both, including electronic devices. Thus, we thought we’d be able to expand the applications of conventional 3D printers if we managed to use them to create 3D objects made of both metal and plastic.”
Their method is actually a major improvement over the conventional metallization process used to coat 3D plastic structures with metal. In the conventional approach, the plastic object is 3D-printed and then submerged in a solution containing palladium (Pd), which adheres to the object’s surface. Afterwards, the piece is submerged in an electroless plating bath that, using the deposited Pd as a catalyst, causes dissolved metal ions to stick to the object. While technically sound, the conventional approach produces a metallic coating that is non-uniform and adheres poorly to the plastic structure.
In contrast, in the new hybrid method, a printer with a dual nozzle is used; one nozzle extrudes standard melted plastic (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS) whereas the other extrudes ABS loaded with PdCl2. By selectively printing layers using one nozzle or the other, specific areas of the 3D object are loaded with Pd. Then, through electroless plating, one finally obtains a plastic structure with a metallic coating over selected areas only.
The scientists found the adhesion of the metal coating to be much higher when using their approach. What’s more, because Pd is loaded in the raw material, their technique does not require any type of roughening or etching of the ABS structure to promote the deposition of the catalyst, unlike the conventional method. This is especially important when considering that these extra steps cause damage not only to the 3D object itself, but to the environment as well, owing to the use of toxic chemicals like chromic acid. Lastly, their approach is entirely compatible with existing fused filament fabrication 3D printers.
Umezu believes that metal–plastic hybrid 3D printing could become very relevant in the near future considering its potential use in 3D electronics, which is the focus of upcoming Internet-of-Things and artificial intelligence applications. In this regard, he adds: “Our hybrid 3D printing method has opened up the possibility of fabricating 3D electronics so that devices and robots used in healthcare and nursing care could become significantly better than what we have today.”
This study hopefully paves the way for hybrid 3D printing technology that will enable us to get the best of both worlds—metal and plastic combined.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Hybrid 3D printing technology
- New Manufacturing Center Holds Grand Opening
Ingersoll unveils a new manufacturing center, and celebrate with a tour of the facilities. Ingersoll Machine Tools is opening a new manufacturing, assembly and testing center in Rockford, Illinois, ...
- PROENERGY Kicks Off Nearly $30 Million Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
Rare and State-of-the-Art Hybrid 3D Printing Machine Represents First Milestone Toward Fortified Supply Chain and Enhanced Energy Security SEDALIA, Mo., /PRNewswire/ — PROENERGY announced today a $28 ...
- PROENERGY Kicks Off Nearly $30 Million Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
Rare and State-of-the-Art Hybrid 3D Printing Machine Represents First ... One of only a handful in the world, this technology enables manufacturing industrial-scale parts of any complexity in ...
- Meet Cubee, A Desktop 3D Printing Network
Cubee’s concept is to create a vast network of local 3D printing operations that connect together to receive requests for part production. They describe it as a “smart, online printshop”. The service ...
- Software Uncovers The 3D-Printability Of Your Product
These platforms analyze your part, your entire digital part inventory, or even the digital blueprint for an entire product, like a car, to uncover which parts are likely to be cheaper, more efficient, ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Hybrid 3D printing technology
Go deeper with Bing News on:
3D electronics
- 3D Printing Materials Market | Current and Future Trends, Leading Players, and Regional Forecast By 2031
The global 3D printing materials market is anticipated expand at an impressive 14.0% CAGR over the forecast period. Rapid adoption of technologically advanced manufacturing equipment across various ...
- 3D NAND Flash Memory Stacked High at Micron
The company has started mass production of its most advanced 3D NAND chips made up of 232 layers of memory cells. The competition sits close behind.
- A New Online Platform Wants to Take Additively Manufactured Electronics to the Next Level
The joint venture called J.A.M.E.S (or Jetted Additively Manufactured E Sources) launched the platform called FrAMEwork on July 5 with the goal of convening a design com ...
- AMTRON proposes 3D Printing Centre of Excellence in Guwahati
A live demo session was held at the video conference hall of the North Eastern Council (NEC) by a team from Assam Electronics Development Corporation (AMTRON) in the presence of dignitaries from ...
- Smartphone 3D Camera Market Is Anticipated To Develop Altogether At Strong CAGR By 2030 | Allied Market Research
Smartphone 3D Camera Market The global smartphone 3D camera market size was valued at $2.55 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $4 ...