Smart polymer: New 3D technology will be able to print airplane wings

Perm Polytechnic University scientists have developed a unique method of 3D printing of large-sized products. The fundamentally new technology uses "smart" movable elements built into the printer, which support the overhanging parts, preventing their deformation. This approach makes it possible to print more complex objects, from furniture and boats to aircraft wings, which opens up new opportunities for the industry and reduces production costs. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

The main advantages of the new technology

Scientists at Perm National Research Polytechnic University, together with experts from F2 Innovations, have developed an innovative 3D printing method for large-sized products that has solved a long-standing problem with overhanging parts and complex corners. It prevented the manufacture of bulky items for aviation, medicine, and electronics. Now this barrier has been removed: the new technology allows you to make large products with protrusions, depressions or at an angle, without wasting time on support and without spoiling the part.

Traditional 3D printing from polymers works like this: plastic melts and is applied in layers, gradually forming an object. But if the part has protrusions, depressions, or is printed at an angle (for example, 45 or 90 degrees), the new layer of plastic may sag over the void — it does not rest on the previous one, deforms and spoils the product. The old methods solved this by printing single-use plastic supports, which led to a large expenditure of material and time.

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The new method turned out to be simple and effective: instead of plastic supports, mechanical elements are used — metal plates or movable structures embedded in the 3D printer itself. They hold the overhanging parts during printing, without becoming part of the product, and do not interfere with the operation of the extruder. The shape of these supports changes in the process.: They are folded, overlapped, or bonded to equipment to hold the plastic without strain or deformation.

— The mechanical elements operate synchronously with the extruder. The management system, based on a digital model, determines in advance where support is needed. Thus, the "smart" supports are always in the right place and are moved away in a timely manner. At the end of printing, they are simply removed, leaving no traces on the surface. This process ensures continuous and defect—free printing," Igor Bezukladnikov, Associate Professor of the Department of Automation and Telemechanics at PNRPU, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Advisor on Science at F2 Innovations, told Izvestia.

The invention has already been patented and successfully integrated into the company's serial 3D printers.

The press service of Perm Polytechnic noted that the development increases the printing area by two times. This makes it possible to create larger and more complex facilities for the aviation and chemical industries, the space industry, and the electronics industry. Boats, bar stools and tables, benches for the Perm city Park have already been made using this technology, as well as art objects printed for various international events, exhibitions and city celebrations.

Advantages of 3D printing

This method of 3D printing opens up new opportunities for creating both industrial and design products, which makes it a universal tool in various fields, Igor Bezukladnikov believes.

— Additive technologies remain one of the most promising production areas. The range of possible products ranges from machine parts made of metal and plastic to biostructures made from a special gel," Svyatoslav Pegov, director of the Center for Sports Programming, Algorithmic Robotics, Cybersecurity and Esports at Ufa University of Science and Technology, told Izvestia.

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According to him, the plastic waste used to print the supports can account for a significant proportion of the total cost of manufacturing the product. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the time losses for cleaning it. At the moment, the issue of eliminating supports is being solved by five-axis 3D printers, in which, due to the rotary construction platform and additional modules, the product itself changes position in space during printing. The use of such technology to create large products requires significant costs.

— The idea of "reusable supports" is promising in the segment of printing large plastic parts without complex curved geometry. Such a printer can cost significantly less than a five-axis printer, it is simpler and cheaper to maintain. However, universal fabricators from science fiction films are still far away," stated Vyacheslav Bogachev, head of the laboratory at the NTI Center for Digital Materials Science: New Materials and Substances at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

Smart supports help save materials and time, making such equipment more attractive to businesses. In addition, they can be used in large-scale 3D spaces for printing large-sized objects, which opens up new prospects for production, the expert added.