Background
3D printing has rapidly advanced to a highly accessible technology, revolutionizing industries by enabling the creation of everything from custom prosthetics to entire homes. Its ability to accelerate production by streamlining prototyping has empowered inventors and manufacturers alike to develop highly customized, unique, and innovative solutions. However, this progress comes at a significant cost. 3D printing technology is notoriously energy-intensive, leading to substantial environmental and financial concerns. When 3D printing involves metal as the printing material, the energy consumption increases exponentially, contributing to an even larger carbon footprint. As the demand and impact of 3D printing grows, addressing these energy challenges is crucial to balance innovation with sustainability.
Invention Description
Researchers at Arizona State University have developed a new method, Resonance Assisted Deposition (RAD), to 3D print metals that offers nearly 1000 times greater efficiency than conventional melt-based 3D printing methods. RAD continuously shapes and joins metal voxels simultaneously in the solid state by application of high-frequency oscillatory shear strain. This results in 3D metal objects being fabricated without the need of heating or melting the metal feedstock, leading to a monumental increase in efficiency. RAD-produced parts have isotropic tensile strengths within 95% of that of the feedstock material. The RAD technique is capable of producing features at 30 degrees overhang, enabling more complex printed structures. The RAD method results in an overall smoother surface, with surface finish ranging from 10-30 Ra. While the current minimum feature size is in the 1mm range, the aspect ratio of RAD parts can exceed 50.
Potential Applications:
- Fabricating metal objects
- 3D printing objects with high aspect ratios
Benefits and Advantages:
- Energy-efficient
- Smooth surface finishes for high aspect ratio printing
- Retained isotropic tensile strength
- Compact printer form factor