Smart Materials by Extrusion Solid Freeform Fabrication

摘要

Extrusion freeform fabrication has been used to build strong composite materials, materials with embedded sensors to monitor stress and degree of cure, and graded metal and ceramic composites. For fiber-reinforced composites it has been shown that orientation can be controlled by the writing process, allowing stiffness and strength to be varied from point to point within a component. A swelling and mineralization approach allows biomimetic composites to be made with high volume fractions of inorganic reinforcement and strengths up to 100 MPa. Studies of the response of parts with embedded stress sensors shows that the sensor response must be interpreted in light of stress sharing between the sensor and the host material. Freeforming offers a versatile route to many new material combinations. Potential applications include tough ceramics, desktop manufacturing and biomedical implants.