Electrospray printing: Unravelling the history of a support free three-dimensional additive manufacturing technology

Abstract

In this perspective article the author highlights a revolutionary technology, which makes reality, the ability to print true three-dimensional architectures, containing self-standing and self-supporting overhangs in the nano and micrometer scale, without the need for supports of any kind. There have been many attempts to achieve this feature in the rapid prototyping/additive manufacturing fields but has been met with little or no success. Current approaches to three-dimensional printing of self-standing and overhanging architectures have been achieved with the use of some form of supporting mould, secondary process or structure which could be either in the form of a viscous liquid or a solid structure to the coupling of lasers, temperature etc. Unfortunately, the use of such methodologies brings with them many issues and limitations, while destroying the concept of additive manufacturing. Note the author here defines additive manufacturing as a technology able to add materials when required during the fabrication of a 3D architecture without the need for external assistance or supports. These limitations in classical fabrication processes, restricts the use of advanced materials such as living biological cells to sensitive biomolecules to many others, for the forming of three-dimensional biological and non-biological architectures, whilst also increasing the costs and materials waste, which are required for acting as moulds, supports etc.