Abstract
At the core of additive manufacturing (3D printing) is the ability to rapidly print with multiple materials for arbitrary distribution with high resolution, which can remove challenges and limits of traditional assembly and enable us to make increasingly complex objects, especially exciting meta-materials. Here we demonstrate a simple and effective strategy to achieve nano-resolution printing of multiple materials for arbitrary distribution via layer-by-layer deposition on a special deposition surface. The established physical model reveals that complex distribution on a section can be achieved by vertical deformation of simple lamination of multiple materials. The deformation is controlled by a special surface of the mold and a contour-by-contour (instead of point-by-point) printing mode is revealed in the actual process. A large-scale concentric ring array with a minimum feature size below 50 nm is printed within less than two hours, verifying the capacity of high-throughput, high-resolution and rapidity of printing. The proposed printing method opens the way towards the programming of internal compositions of object (such as functional microdevices with multiple materials).
Highlights
Three-dimensional printing is well-known as one of the disruptive technologies affecting the future, which may bring about the third industrial revolution
The study of 3D printing has been stagnating at the primary stage of controlling object shape for a long time [6] and a serious breakthrough is needed for the senior stage of programming internal compositions [29], despite some achievements such as the printing with hybrid multimaterials [22], printing via multiple nozzles with different materials [23,30], simple and imprecise controlling of compositions by the assisted physical morphology [24,25,26], magnetism [27], chemical reaction [28], etc
We demonstrate the precise control of the position of multiple materials for arbitrary distribution by means of the morphological characteristics
Summary
Three-dimensional printing is well-known as one of the disruptive technologies affecting the future, which may bring about the third industrial revolution. Without an effective and precise controlling strategy of position of multiple materials, the state-of-the-art 3D printing technology still faces enormous challenges to achieve real printing of multiple materials for arbitrary distribution [22,23,24,25,26,27,28]. How to control multiple materials with high resolution and efficiency to construct objects has attracted more interest from the researchers. As mentioned by American scientist Hod Lipson, the core of real 3D printing was the capacity of achieving arbitrary distribution of multiple materials [29], which is what we have been doing. We demonstrate the precise control of the position of multiple materials for arbitrary distribution by means of the morphological characteristics. The proposed printing strategy makes a great extension of function and application of 3D printing technologies
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