New technology for 3D printing of complex objects based on cellulose. Free Technical Library News

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New technology for 3D printing complex objects based on cellulose

05.04.2020

A group of ETH Zurich researchers have found a way to process cellulose using 3D printing to create objects of almost unlimited complexity that contain large amounts of cellulose.

The new technology combines direct ink printing (DIW) and a material compaction process that increases the cellulose content of the printed object by up to 27%.

The scientists first printed the object using "water ink". The composition of the ink includes only water, in which particles of cellulose and fibers several hundred nanometers in size were mixed. The cellulose content is from six to 14% of the total volume of ink.

The scientists then placed the printed object in a bath of organic solvents. Since cellulose does not like organic solvents, its particles tend to stick to each other. So the cellulose particles are compacted and deposited in the object.

In the next step, the researchers immersed the objects in a solution containing a light-sensitive plastic precursor (the so-called "precursor" of plastic, the substance from which plastic is made). When the solvent was removed by evaporation, the plastic precursors penetrated into the framework of the cellulose-based object. Then, in order for the precursors to turn into hard plastic, ultraviolet light was directed at the printed object. This made it possible to obtain a composite material with a cellulose content above 27%: that is, the content of cellulose particles increased from 6-14% to 27%.

Depending on the type of plastic precursor used, they can control the mechanical properties of the printed objects, such as elasticity or strength. This allows you to create hard or soft parts.

Using this method, the researchers were able to produce various composite objects, including very fragile ones: for example, a "sculpture" of a flame only one millimeter thick. The technology has one drawback: compaction of printed parts with a wall thickness of more than five millimeters leads to a distortion of the structure, since the surface of the compacting object is compressed faster than its core.

In the future, it will be possible to make, for example, packaging and even cartilage implants from the new material. This technology may also be of interest to the automotive industry. Japanese automakers have already created a prototype sports car for which body parts are made almost entirely of cellulose-based materials.

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