People are exploring the use of 3D printing for wide-ranging applications, including manufacturing, medical devices, fashion and even food. But one of the most efficient forms of 3D printing suffers from a major drawback: It can only print objects that are gray or black in color. Now, researchers have tweaked the method so it can print in all of the colors of the rainbow.
They report their results in the ACS journal Nano Letters.
Selective laser sintering (SLS) printers use a laser to heat specific regions of a powdered material, typically nylon or polyamide, so that the powder melts or sinters to form a solid mass. The printer adds then selectively sinters new powdered material layer by layer until the desired 3D structure is obtained. To reduce the energy requirements of the process, researchers have added compounds called photosensitizers to the polymer powders. These materials, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon black and graphene, absorb light much more strongly than the polymers and transfer heat to them, enabling the use of cheaper, lower-power lasers. However, the carbon-based photosensitizers can only produce printed objects that are gray or black. Gerasimos Konstantatos, Romain Quidant and their coworkers at The Institute of Photonic Sciences (IFCO) wanted to find a photosensitizer that would enable color printing by the SLS method.
The researchers designed gold nanorods to strongly absorb in the near-infrared region of the spectrum while being almost transparent to visible light. They coated them with silica and then mixed them with polyamide powders to print 3D objects. They found that the gold nanorods were much better at converting light from the laser to heat than carbon black, the industry standard. Also, the new photosensitizers could produce much whiter and — when mixed with dyes — brightly colored 3D objects. Importantly, the materials are cost-effective for large-scale production. The researchers have filed several patent applications related to the new technology.
Learn more: Fast, cheap and colorful 3D printing
The Latest on: 3D printing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”3D printing ” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: 3D printing
- British Army uses 3D printer to make speedy spare parts in world firston May 10, 2024 at 6:29 am
A cutting-edge 3D printer is being used by the British Army for the first time to make spare parts for military vehicles and equipment on a vital Nato exercise. The exercise - Steadfast Defender - is designed to show Russia that Nato countries,
- A Guide to 3D Printing for Healthcare, Today and Tomorrowon May 9, 2024 at 10:02 am
The technology is used by many health systems to create custom implants and models, but how will it be used in medicine as it advances?
via Bing News