Damping of 3D-printed polymer microbeam resonators

The emerging high-resolution 3D printing technique called two-photon polymerization (2PP) enables to print devices bottom-up rapidly, contrary to the top-down lithography-based fabrication methods. In this work, various polymer microbeams are 3D printed and their resonant characteristics are analyzed to understand the origin of damping. The...

Low-Cost Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of a Miniaturized Dual Band Stacked Patch Antenna for GNSS Applications

The utilization of low-cost hybrid additive manufacturing equipment for creating a fully integrated patch antenna system is demonstrated. A miniaturized stacked dual-band patch antenna for GNSS applications with integrated feed, amplifier, matching, and bias network is considered. Design and manufacturing challenges due to the peculiarities of...

Feasibility of On-demand Additive Manufacturing of Spare Parts

Spare parts availability is crucial for extending the life of consumer products. However, long-term availability could lead to high stocks of spare parts, which might not be used. Instead, on-demand manufacturing of spare parts with additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising alternative. This paper presents a method to evaluate parts on their...

3D Printing of Habitats on Mars: Effects of Low Temperature and Pressure

Due to payload weight limitations and human vulnerability to harsh space conditions, it is preferable that the potential landing location for humans has an already constructed habitat preferably made from in situ materials. Therefore, the prospect of utilizing a readily available Martian material, such as regolith, in an easily programmable...

3D Printing for Space Habitats: Requirements, Challenges, and Recent Advances

Heavily resource-reliant transportation and harsh living conditions, where humans cannot survive without a proper habitat, have prevented humans from establishing colonies on the Moon and Mars. Due to the absence of an atmosphere, potential habitats on the Moon or Mars require thick and strong structures that can withstand artificially...

3D Printing for Repair Guide

This guide takes the reader through the 3D Printing for Repair (3DP4R) process. It consists of guidelines and tools to create a 3D printable version of spare parts needed for a product repair. 3D printing a spare part is more than just printing the original part. Instead, it is an iterative process in which the part is analysed, redesigned,...

Spin-Printing of Liquid Crystal Polymer into Recyclable and Strong All-Fiber Materials

Fiber-reinforced polymers are widely used as lightweight materials in aircraft, automobiles, wind turbine blades, and sports products. Despite the beneficial weight reduction achieved in such applications, these composites often suffer from poor recyclability and limited geometries. 3D printing of liquid crystal polymers into complex-shaped...

3D Printed Actuators: Reversibility, Relaxation, and Ratcheting

Additive manufacturing strives to combine any combination of materials into 3D functional structures and devices, ultimately opening up the possibility of 3D printed machines. It remains difficult to actuate such devices, thus limiting the scope of 3D printed machines to passive devices or necessitating the incorporation of external actuators...