Printing Electro-Tomography

Introduction

3D printing is literally building our future in realizing components and parts which cannot either be manufactured with standard techniques (milling, lathing) or for which the scale does not justify the use of molding techniques that require longer time and are only convenient for a high production scale.

Current Challenges

The problem with current 3D printing is the tradeoff between speed and precision. If we want to print fast in additive manufacturing, it is more difficult to know what physically happens with the deposition, and increasing speed is always at the cost of precision. This is mostly due to the fact that the deposition process is basically in Open Loop.

Demand for In-Situ Measurement Techniques

Currently, there is a strong demand for in-situ measurement techniques to enable real-time feedback. The newest camera-based techniques only allow for measurements on the outer surface of prints.

Proposed Innovation

The proposed innovation aims to create real-time feedback by using easily implementable electrical impedance measurements during the printing process together with conductively doped material. This involves measuring multipoint impedances among points on the substrate and the nozzle to possibly realize a tomographic description of the print.

Benefits of the Innovation

This intrinsically cheap method can be used pervasively and has groundbreaking potential for both the professional and consumer 3D printing market. The benefits include:

• Higher quality prints
• Faster printing
• Reduced losses

These improvements will increase the usability, reliability, and throughput of 3D printing, which are the major concerns in this manufacturing technology for both the professional and consumer markets.

Industry Interest and Support

The idea has been patented, and industry has already confirmed strong interest. With the support of the ERC-PoC, the Principal Investigator (PI) and his multidisciplinary team will be able to address the questions still to be answered in close collaboration with the industrial partner Ultimaker. This collaboration aims to address the correct scientific questions needed for a successful transfer to market.