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Inventions
Special Issues
Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0
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Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0

A special issue of Inventions (ISSN 2411-5134). This special issue belongs to the section "Inventions and Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 6068

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Joshua M. Pearce

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
Interests: solar photovoltaics; appropriate technology; distributed recycling and additive manufacturing; open hardware; resilient food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue follows the publication of the first editions on “Innovations in 3D Printing”, which presented 9 high-quality papers.

Recently, 3D printing has been growing aggressively, and diverse thought leaders agree that additive manufacturing (AM) technology will provide a new industrial revolution, fundamentally changing the way products are made. Innovation in the 3D printing intellectual space is observed to be a gold rush for 3D printing-related patents throughout the globe [1]. In addition, the open-source, self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) project has created a tidal wave of innovation from hundreds of developers working together over the web. This has resulted in radically reduced costs of 3D printers, rapid prototyping and low-volume production, and has popularized the idea of 3D printing with dozens of new companies forming. Conventional patenting and production, as well as the mining of expired or abandoned patents [2] or direct open-source innovation, have all combined to provide a new approach to the manufacture of end-use products: distributed manufacturing [3], where raw material (filament, powder, liquid, or sheets) is directly transformed into objects from digital 3D design files (millions of which are freely shared on the web). Thus, 3D printing allows for the efficient manufacture of geometrically and functionally complex products within a single process step, which provides enormous opportunities for more efficient product design, custom products and rapid innovation in the product cycle. Additionally, 3D printing holds out the potential for advances in global value chains [4] as well as manufacturing sustainability, including reduced energy consumption, increased material efficiency, localized production (even in one's own home), increased opportunities for repair and life cycle upgrading. All of these opportunities will only be realized with continued invention and innovation. That is why I invite you to submit an article to Inventions for this Special Issue on “Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0”. Inventions is open access and all papers will be readable by everyone, free of charge.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Innovation to reduce 3D printing time, materials, energy use, environmental impact, cost or complexity;
  • Innovative 3D printer software (firmware, controller, slicers, CAD, web interfaces, quality control, monitoring and integration);
  • Innovative 3D printer hardware;
  • Innovative processing techniques that enable conventional 3D printing (FFF/FDM, SLS, SLA, DLP, SLM, EBM, BJ, LOM, etc.), as well as those processes beyond the common techniques;
  • Innovative 3D printing materials and multimaterial printing;
  • Innovation that would lead to volumetric 3D printing rather than printing layer-by-layer;
  • Innovative 3D printing at different scales (nano- to building-sized);
  • Impact of innovation from open-source communities (e.g., the RepRap project);
  • Innovative open-source business models applied to 3D printing;
  • Innovations to reduce costs of 3D printers;
  • Innovations to encourage distributed manufacturing;
  • Innovative consumer applications that can be 3D printed at home;
  • Innovative intellectual property approaches to 3D printing and distributed manufacturing.

Prof. Dr. Joshua M. Pearce
Guest Editor

References

[1] Wee, H. The “gold rush” for 3-D printing patents. CNBC. 2013. http://www.cnbc.com/id/100942655. 

[2] Nilsiam, Y., Pearce, J.M. Open Source Database and Website to Provide Free and Open Access to Inactive US Patents in the Public Domain. Inventions 2016, 1, 24.

[3] Wittbrodt, B., et al. Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers. Mechatronics 2013, 23, 713–726.

[4] Laplume, A.O., et al. Global value chains from a 3D printing perspective. Journal of International Business Studies 2016, 47, 595–609.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Inventions is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • 3D printers
  • additive manufacturing
  • distributed manufacturing
  • digital manufacturing
  • home manufacturing
  • DIY
  • RepRap
  • fused filament fabrication
  • fused deposition modeling
  • stereolithography
  • digital light processing
  • selective laser sintering
  • selective laser melting
  • electron beam melting
  • laminated object manufacturing
  • binder jetting
  • material jetting
  • gas metal arc weld 3D printing

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 10677 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Contents of 63s Bioglass on the Performance of Bioglass-PCL Composite Bone Scaffolds
by Chen Zhang, Shihao Chen, Muniyandi Vigneshwaran, Yi Qi, Yulai Zhou, Gaosheng Fu, Zhiyu Li and Jianlei Wang
Inventions 2023, 8(6), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8060138 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1499
Abstract
Bioactive glasses (BG), notably 63s BG, possess distinct properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the ability to boost cellular interactions. Our research concentrated on formulating polycaprolactone (PCL) porous scaffolds enriched with 63s BG to gauge their combined mechanical and biological potentials. Using twin-screw [...] Read more.
Bioactive glasses (BG), notably 63s BG, possess distinct properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the ability to boost cellular interactions. Our research concentrated on formulating polycaprolactone (PCL) porous scaffolds enriched with 63s BG to gauge their combined mechanical and biological potentials. Using twin-screw extrusion, we created composites containing 5%, 10%, and 20% 63s BG. These were transformed into cylindrical scaffolds using 3D printing. Our assessments involved melt flow, SEM, XRD, water contact angle metrics, DSC, and extracorporeal degradation. After co-culturing with MC3T3-E1 cells, an uptick in alkaline phosphatase activity was noted. Preliminary findings demonstrated that as 63s BG content increased, the properties of the composites improved. Yet, they fell short of replicating the mechanical nuances of cortical bone, rendering them inapt for load-bearing orthopedic applications but suitable for mending minor bone defects or cartilage. In summary, while 63s BG brings about significant advancements in scaffold attributes, attaining the mechanical traits ideal for certain medical purposes remains elusive. This investigation offers foundational insights for the evolution of optimized bone tissue engineering materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0)
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17 pages, 1819 KiB  
Article
Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing-Driven Design and Testing of the Snapping Interlocking Metasurface Mechanism ShroomLock
by Philip Gloyer, Lucca Nikita Schek, Hans Lennart Flöttmann, Paul Wüst and Christina Völlmecke
Inventions 2023, 8(6), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8060137 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1344
Abstract
This study presents the manufacturing process-driven development of an interlocking metasurface; (ILM) mechanism for fused filament fabrication; (FFF) with a focus on open-source accessibility. The presented ILM is designed to enable strong contact between two planar surfaces. The mechanism consists of spring elements [...] Read more.
This study presents the manufacturing process-driven development of an interlocking metasurface; (ILM) mechanism for fused filament fabrication; (FFF) with a focus on open-source accessibility. The presented ILM is designed to enable strong contact between two planar surfaces. The mechanism consists of spring elements and locking pins which snap together when forced into contact. The mechanism is designed to deliver optimized mechanical properties, functionality, and printability with common FFF printers. The mechanism is printed from a thermoplastic polyurethane; (TPU) filament which was selected for its flexibility, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the spring elements. To characterize the designed mechanism, a tensile test is carried out to assess the holding force of the ILM. The force-displacement profiles are analyzed and categorized into distinct phases, highlighting the interplay between spring deformation, sliding, and disengagement. Finally, from the measurements of multiple printed specimens, a representative holding force is determined through averaging and assigned to the mechanism. The resulting tolerance, which can be attributed to geometric and material-related factors, is discussed. The testing results are discussed and compared with a numerical simulation carried out with a frictionless approach with a nonlinear Neo-Hookean material law. The study underscores the importance of meticulous parameter control in three-dimensional (3D) printing for the consistent and reliable performance of interlocking metasurface mechanisms. The investigation leads to a scalable model of an ILM element pair with distinct three-phase snapping characteristics ensuring reliable holding capabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0)
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15 pages, 3351 KiB  
Article
Overcoming Chip Shortages: Low-Cost Open-Source Parametric 3-D Printable Solderless SOIC to DIP Breakout Adapters
by Cameron K. Brooks, Jack E. Peplinski and Joshua M. Pearce
Inventions 2023, 8(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8020061 - 10 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2407
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains of many products. One area that requires improved supply chain resilience and that is of particular importance to electronic designers is the shortage of basic dual in-line package (DIP) electronic components commonly used [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains of many products. One area that requires improved supply chain resilience and that is of particular importance to electronic designers is the shortage of basic dual in-line package (DIP) electronic components commonly used for prototyping. This anecdotal observation was investigated as a case study of using additive manufacturing to enforce contact between premade, off-the-shelf conductors to allow for electrical continuity between two arbitrary points by examining data relating to the stock quantity of electronic components, extracted from Digi-Key Electronics. This study applies this concept using an open hardware approach for the design, testing, and use of a simple, parametric, 3-D printable invention that allows for small outline integrated circuit (SOIC) components to be used in DIP package circuits (i.e., breadboards, protoboards, etc.). The additive manufacture breakout board (AMBB) design was developed using two different open-source modelers, OpenSCAD and FreeCAD, to provide reliable and consistent electrical contact between the component and the rest of the circuit and was demonstrated with reusable 8-SOIC to DIP breakout adapters. The three-part design was optimized for manufacturing with RepRap-class fused filament 3-D printers, making the AMBB a prime candidate for use in distributed manufacturing models. The AMBB offers increased flexibility during circuit prototyping by allowing arbitrary connections between the component and prototyping interface as well as superior organization through the ability to color-code different component types. The cost of the AMBB is CAD $0.066/unit, which is a 94% saving compared to conventional PCB-based breakout boards. Use of the AMBB device can provide electronics designers with an increased selection of components for through-hole use by more than a factor of seven. Future development of AMBB devices to allow for low-cost conversion between arbitrary package types provides a path towards more accessible and inclusive electronics design as well as faster prototyping and technical innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in 3D Printing 3.0)
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