
Researchers have developed a unique method of strengthening microscopic 3D printed lattices.
The space we’re talking about here is very small, something the researchers call “nanoarchitecture”. Typical structures are lattices, resembling foam. These are lightweight, and hopefully strong in spite of using less material, and would be significant benefit to industries where weight matters, such as aerospace.
Unfortunately in many cases using two-photon 3D printing (TPP) the resulting lattices are not as strong as they could be.
The researchers found that traditional approaches suffer from stress concentrations resulting in premature node failure, weakening the structure overall.
Their approach was to use a multi-objective Bayesian optimization to improve the mechanical properties of the lattice geometry. They were able to scale up the process to produce millimetre-sized lattice structures.
They found that when the strut diameter is reduced from 600nm to 300nm, the mechanical properties improve by up to 79%. On the larger scale, this meant that their test samples had a 118% improvement in strength and a 68% improvement in Young’s Modulus.
Why is this important? The lattices produced with this technique are as strong as carbon steel, yet have a density similar to styrofoam.
One can only imagine the applications of such a material.