Multi-material Specimens Research Articles

Development of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Additive Manufacturing and Multi-Material Structures in Sustainable Applications

This study investigates the mechanical properties of carbon and natural fiber-reinforced Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) composites produced via Additive Manufacturing (AM), focusing on Material Extrusion (MEX). The performance of filaments made from pre-consumer recycled PLA (rPLA) and PETG, with varying weight percentages of hemp and jute short fibers, was evaluated through tensile testing. Comparisons were made between the original filaments (PLA, carbon fiber-reinforced PLA [CF–PLA], and PETG) and their recycled versions. Multi-material compositions—neat PLA and PETG, single-graded (PLA + CF–PLA, PETG + CF–PETG), and multi-gradient (PLA + CF–PLA + PLA, PETG + CF–PETG + PETG)—were analyzed for mechanical properties. Optical microscope images of multi-material specimens were captured before and after fracture to assess failure mechanisms. The results indicate that the original CF–PETG filaments achieved a tensile strength of 50.14 MPa, which is higher than rPLA, PLA, and CF–PLA by 2%, 70%, and 6.7%, respectively. The re-manufactured PLA filaments reinforced with 7 wt% hemp fibers exhibited a tensile strength of 38.8 MPa, representing a 29% increase compared to the original PLA filaments and a 26% improvement over recycled PLA. Additionally, incorporating 7% jute fiber into PETG resulted in a tensile strength of 62.38 MPa, reflecting a 12% improvement over the original PETG filaments and a 15% increase compared to the recycled PETG filaments. Among specimens produced by AM, CF–PLA and rPLA demonstrated the highest tensile and compressive strengths. However, multi-material composites showed reduced mechanical performance compared to neat PLA and PETG, highlighting the need for improved interlayer adhesion. This study emphasizes the importance of optimizing material combinations and fiber reinforcement to enhance the mechanical properties of composites produced through AM.

Multimaterial additive manufacturing of poly-L-lactic acid– hydroxylapatite/graphene oxide scaffold fabricated via vat photopolymerization: experimental investigation, analysis and cell study

PurposeThis study aims to design and implement a multimaterial system for printing multifunctional specimens suitable for various sectors, with a particular focus on biomedical applications such as addressing mandibular bone loss.Design/methodology/approachTo enhance both the mechanical and biological properties of scaffolds, an automatic multimaterial setup using vat photopolymerization was developed. This setup features a linear system with two resin vats and one ultrasonic cleaning tank, facilitating the integration of diverse materials and structures to optimize scaffold composition. Such versatility allows for the simultaneous achievement of various characteristics in scaffold design.FindingsThe printed multimaterial scaffolds, featuring 20 Wt.% hydroxylapatite (HA) on the interior and poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) with 1 Wt.% graphene oxide (GO) on the exterior, exhibited favorable mechanical and biological properties at the optimum postcuring and heat-treatment time. Using an edited triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattice structure further enhanced these properties. Various multimaterial specimens were successfully printed and evaluated, showcasing the capability of the setup to ensure functionality, cleanliness and adequate interface bonding. Additionally, a novel Gyroid TPMS scaffold with a nominal porosity of 50% was developed and experimentally validated.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the successful fabrication of multimaterial components with minimal contaminations and suitable mechanical and biological properties. By combining PLLA-HA and PLLA-GO, this innovative technique holds significant promise for enhancing the effectiveness of regenerative procedures, particularly in the realm of dentistry.

Shape Memory Polymers in 4D Printing: Investigating Multi-Material Lattice Structures

This paper evaluates the design and fabrication of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) shape memory polymer (SMP) using fused deposition modeling (FDM). The commercially available SMP filament was used to create parts capable of changing their shape following the application of an external heat stimulus. The characterization of thermal and viscoelastic properties of the SMP TPU revealed a proportional change in shape fixity and recovery with respect to heating and cooling rates, as well as a decreasing softening temperature with increasing shape memory history due to changes in the polymer microstructure. Inspired by the advancements in 3D and 4D printing, we investigated the feasibility of creating multi-material lattice structures using SMP and another thermoplastic with poor adhesion to TPU. A variety of interlocking lattice structures were evaluated by combining SMP with another thermoplastic that have poor adhesion with TPU. The tensile strength and failure modes of the fabricated multi-material parts were compared against homogenous SMP TPU specimens. It was found that the lattice interface failed first at approximately 41% of the ultimate strength of the homogenous part on average. The maximum recorded ultimate strength of the multi-material specimens reached 62% of SMP TPU’s ultimate strength. These characterizations can make 4D printing technology more accessible to common users and make it available for new markets.

Additive manufacturing and mechanical analysis of multi-material polymer parts combining thermosets and thermoplastics

Multi-material additive manufacturing (AM) represents one of the most promising solutions to target the contemporary demand for complex products with high individuality and inherent functionalities. Besides continuous advances in machinery and the available material spectrum, a substantial aspect of multi-material AM is still underrepresented: the simultaneous combination of thermosets and thermoplastic within a single AM process. A promising technology in this regard is the newly developed Fusion Jetting (FJ) process. This investigation focuses on the combination of acrylate-based photopolymers (thermoset) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with FJ. Tensile specimens are built with strategic variations of the process parameters and experimentally analyzed to derive beneficial processing conditions. A proof of concept is delivered by demonstrating a significant increase in Young’s modulus of TPU specimens from approximately 65 to 160 MPa through integration of photopolymer reinforcements. Further experiments regarding variable layer heights and laser powers identify an optimum layer height of 100 µm along with a tolerable laser power of 15 W for maximum mechanical properties. An overall challenging aspect of the FJ process is the presence of unwanted delamination between reinforced and non-reinforced layers. The failure mode is observed during tensile testing on multiple multi-material specimens of this investigation. The origin of delamination can be correlated to the deviation of integrated reinforcements from their originally intended dimensions as well as the unwanted crystallization within reinforced layers. First, countermeasures to minimize delamination are identified, such as decreasing the rotational increment of the laser hatch orientation from 90 to 10° per layer.

Examination of ray casting in Unity 3D as a fast pose prediction tool for industrial CT scans of multi-material specimens

Examination of ray casting in Unity 3D as a fast pose prediction tool for industrial CT scans of multi-material specimens

Simulating multi-material specimen manufacturing from VZh159 and CuCr1Zr alloys via SLM method: Computational modeling and experimental findings

Manufacturing of multi-material products through layer-by-layer synthesis poses various challenges encompassing process parameter optimization, equipment calibration, and the mitigation of warping and internal stresses within the manufactured parts. The article investigates the feasibility of simulating the selective laser melting (SLM) process for manufacturing multi-material components, exemplified through specimens composed of the VZh159 nickel alloy and CuCr1Zr copper alloy. The study entails numerical simulations of the printing process, which were then validated against real specimens produced through SLM. Each test specimen was vertically divided into three parts: the top and bottom sections consisted of the VZh159 alloy, while the central part was composed of the CuCr1Zr alloy. Simulations involved using identical process parameters as employed in the printing process. Thermal and mechanical analyses for each part of the multi-material specimen were sequentially addressed, transferring the outcomes of the preceding analysis as initial conditions for subsequent calculations. The study concludes that while the obtained simulation results are indicative, they do not precisely capture the deformation observed in the specimens manufactured via the SLM method. The numerical values of deformations derived from simulation results slightly underestimate the actual deformations, attributed to limitations in the chosen calculation algorithms. For future utilization of numerical computer simulation in the SLM manufacturing of multi-material specimens, the study suggests the necessity of implementing a seamless, continuous simulation process without transitions between different parts of the specimen. This entails considering the entire manufacturing process without segregating sections, ensuring a comprehensive account of continuous deformation and stress accumulation throughout fabrication.

Akurasi Dimensi Komponen Multi-material Hasil Manufaktur Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D Printing

Workpieces resulting from 3D printing manufacturing which were initially only for rapid prototyping purposes, are now used for final products. In its development, a method is needed that can accommodate the creation of multi-material structures because there are complex structures that require hard materials and elastic materials in one part at once. Multi-material manufacturing with a laminate structure in DLP 3D printing can be done by changing the resin material periodically as needed. One important aspect in multi-material 3D printing manufacturing is dimensional accuracy. In this research, the accuracy of multi-material specimen layer thickness from DLP 3D printer manufacturing was studied. The specimens were manufactured with a uniform CAD design, but with varying numbers of material layer pairs. The thickness of each layer of the specimen is measured. From the measurement results, it is known that there is an error in the thickness of each specimen due to the bottom layer phenomenon and the influence of the penetration range of UV light in the DLP 3D printing technique due to differences in the color density of the resin material and the concentration of the photoinitiator.

Achieving illustrious friction on a directed energy deposition 316/NiTi heterogeneous alloy with bionic Ni interlayer

The high brittleness intermetallic compound Fe2Ti is a key obstacle in joining stainless steel and NiTi alloys. In this study, Ni interlayer are introduced to prepare 316-Ni-NiTi multi-material specimens by direct energy deposition to reduce the excessive Fe2Ti in the system while improving the wear resistance of 316 under different loads. The presence of Ni interlayer reduces intermetallic compound Fe2Ti, resulting in the composition of 316-Ni-NiTi phase dominated by NiTi and Ni3Ti. The microstructure shows a typical dendritic morphology, in which eutectic regions existed in the NiTi layer. Both the 316/Ni interface and the Ni/NiTi interface exhibits good metallurgical bonding, the occurrence of the mutual diffusion phenomenon is confirmed by quantitative and qualitative analysis of the chemical composition of the 316-Ni-NiTi specimens. The average microhardness of the NiTi layer is 770 HV, which is 4.9 times higher than the 316, which benefiting from the intermetallic compound with high hardness generated by the introduction of the Ni interlayer. The wear weight loss of the 316-Ni-NiTi coating is less than that of the substrate at different loads, especially at a load of 60 N, which is only 29% of the substrate.

Wear of Tailored Forming Steels

This study investigates the wear behavior of additively welded cladding layers on less wear‐resistant base materials using plasma‐transferred arc welding and laser hot‐wire cladding. The cladding layers are made from atomized AISI 52100, AISI 5140, and a stainless steel with (0.52 wt% C, 0.9 wt% Si, 14 wt% Cr, 0.4 wt% Mo, 1.8 wt% Ni, 1.2 wt% V, bal. Fe) on unalloyed steel AISI 1022M as the base material. The specimens' microstructure and surface hardness are comparable with conventional specimens of monolithic AISI 52100 and AISI 4140, which is used as a reference. Tribometer tests are carried out in ball‐on‐disk configuration to investigate the wear resistance of the specimen. The multimaterial specimens show comparable wear behavior to their monolithic counterparts, and a good performance of the stainless specimen in pure sliding is proven. These findings suggest that additive manufacturing processes can be used to clad less wear‐resistant base materials and achieve high wear resistance, making it possible to exploit the advantages of surface coatings under severe wear conditions.

Investigation on the mechanical performance of mono-material vs multi-material interface geometries using fused filament fabrication

PurposeCurrently on additive manufacturing, extensive research is directed toward mitigating the main challenges associated with multi-material in fused filament fabrication which has a weak bonding strength between dissimilar materials. Low interfacial bonding strength leads to defects, anisotropy and temperature gradient in materials which negatively impact the mechanical performance of the multi-material prints. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of different interface geometry designs in terms of the mechanical properties of the specimens.Design/methodology/approachTensile test specimens were printed using: mono-material without a boundary interface, mono-material with the interface geometries (Face-to-face; U-shape; T-shape; Dovetail; Encapsulation; Mechanical interlocking; and Overlap) and multi-material with the interface geometries. The materials chosen with high and low compatibility were Tough polylactic acid (PLA) and TPU.FindingsThe main results of this study indicate that the interface geometries with the mechanical constriction between materials provide better structural integrity to the specimens. Moreover, in the case of the mono-material parts, the most effective interface design was the mechanical interlocking for both Tough PLA and TPU. On the other hand, in the case of multi-material specimens, the encapsulation showed the highest ultimate tensile strength, whereas the overlap and T-shape presented more robust bonding.Originality/valueThis study examines the mechanical performance, particularly tensile strength, strain at break, Young’s modulus and yield strength of different interface designs which were not studied in the previous studies.

Thermoforming Characteristics of PLA/TPU Multi-Material Specimens Fabricated with Fused Deposition Modelling under Different Temperatures.

Multi-material products are required in fused deposition modelling (FDM) to meet a desired specification such as a rigid structure with soft material for impact protection. This paper focuses on the thermoformability and shape recovery characteristics of three-dimensional (3D)-printed multi-material specimens under different thermoforming temperatures. The multi-material specimens consist of polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The PLA/TPU specimens were prepared by depositing the TPU component on top of the PLA component using a fused deposition modelling (FDM) machine. Simple thermoforming tests were proposed, where the specimens were bent under load and molded into a circular shape at different thermoforming temperatures. The bent specimens were then reheated at 60 °C to evaluate their shape memory ability. The test results were quantified into apparent bending modulus and shape recovery percentage. The PLA/TPU specimens showed a better apparent bending modulus of 143 MPa than a PLA specimen at a temperature between 60 °C to 90 °C. However, only the PLA/TPU specimens being thermoformed into a circular shape at 100 °C or greater showed good shape retention accuracy and interfacial surface bonding. The PLA/TPU specimens that were thermoformed at 60 °C to 90 °C showed reasonable shape memory of about 60% recovery when reheated. Finally, suitable thermoforming temperatures for thermoforming PLA/TPU specimens were suggested based on design needs.

On Laminated Object Manufactured FDM-Printed ABS/TPU Multimaterial Specimens: An Insight into Mechanical and Morphological Characteristics.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing of commercial and reinforced filaments is a proven and well-explored method for the enhancement of mechanical properties. However, little has hitherto been reported on the multi-material components, fused or laminated together into a single specimen by using the laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technique for sustainable/renewable polymers. TPU is one such durable and flexible, sustainable material exhibiting renewable and biocompatible properties that have been explored very less often in combination with the ABS polymer matrix in a single specimen, such as the LOM specimen. The current research work presents the LOM manufacturing of 3D-printed flexural specimens of two different, widely used polymers available viz. ABS and TPU and tested as per ASTM D790 standards. The specimens were made and laminated in three layers. They were grouped into two categories, namely ABS: TPU: ABS (ATA) and TPU: ABS: TPU (TAT), which are functionally graded, sandwiched structures of polymeric material. The investigation of the flexural properties, microscopic imaging, and porosity characteristics of the specimens was made for the above categories. The results of the study suggest that ATA-based samples held larger flexural strength than TAT laminated manufactured samples. A significant improvement in the peak elongation and break elongation of the samples was achieved and has shown a 187% increase in the break elongation. Similarly, for the TAT-based specimen, flexural strength was improved significantly from approximately 6.8 MPa to 13 MPa, which represents a nearly 92% increase in the flexural strength. The morphological testing using Tool Maker’s microscopic analysis and porosity analysis has supported the observed trends of mechanical behavior of ATA and TAT samples.

Interfacial characterization and mechanical properties of additively manufactured IN718/CoNiCrAlY laminate

IN718/CoNiCrAlY multi-material laminates were prepared using laser powder bed fusion. The microstructure, phase composition, grain orientation, microhardness, and tensile properties of the multi-material were investigated. The results showed that the interface between IN718 and CoNiCrAlY was compact without cracks and had good metallurgical bonding. The interface was mainly composed of the γ-Ni(Co, Cr) solid solution matrix phase, β-NiAl intermetallic compound, and some η-Ni3Al0.5Nb0.5 precipitated phase. The microstructure of the interface along the building direction consisted of columnar dendrites with a strong (100) <001> cubic texture. A higher kernel average misorientation value was observed at the interface, indicating stress concentration, which was attributed to the intrinsic stress caused by the lattice differences between the two materials. The microhardness increased first and then decreased from IN718 to CoNiCrAlY along the building direction, and the hardness in the transition region was the highest (367.0 ± 3.7 HV). The ultimate tensile strength of IN718/CoNiCrAlY joint was 871.4 ± 13.0 MPa, which was lower than that of single IN718 and single CoNiCrAlY. Fracture analysis revealed that the multi-material specimen fractured in the transition region, and the fracture morphology was a mixed mode of cleavage fracture and micropore aggregation fracture.

Design and Mechanical Characterization Using Digital Image Correlation of Soft Tissue-Mimicking Polymers.

Present and future anatomical models for biomedical applications will need bio-mimicking three-dimensional (3D)-printed tissues. These would enable, for example, the evaluation of the quality-performance of novel devices at an intermediate step between ex-vivo and in-vivo trials. Nowadays, PolyJet technology produces anatomical models with varying levels of realism and fidelity to replicate organic tissues. These include anatomical presets set with combinations of multiple materials, transitions, and colors that vary in hardness, flexibility, and density. This study aims to mechanically characterize multi-material specimens designed and fabricated to mimic various bio-inspired hierarchical structures targeted to mimic tendons and ligaments. A Stratasys® J750™ 3D Printer was used, combining the Agilus30™ material at different hardness levels in the bio-mimicking configurations. Then, the mechanical properties of these different options were tested to evaluate their behavior under uni-axial tensile tests. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to accurately quantify the specimens’ large strains in a non-contact fashion. A difference in the mechanical properties according to pattern type, proposed hardness combinations, and matrix-to-fiber ratio were evidenced. The specimens V, J1, A1, and C were selected as the best for every type of pattern. Specimens V were chosen as the leading combination since they exhibited the best balance of mechanical properties with the higher values of Modulus of elasticity (2.21 ± 0.17 MPa), maximum strain (1.86 ± 0.05 mm/mm), and tensile strength at break (2.11 ± 0.13 MPa). The approach demonstrates the versatility of PolyJet technology that enables core materials to be tailored based on specific needs. These findings will allow the development of more accurate and realistic computational and 3D printed soft tissue anatomical solutions mimicking something much closer to real tissues.

Individual process development of single and multi-material laser melting in novel modular laser powder bed fusion system

Additive manufacturing and especially the laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) with full melting of the powder offers tremendous potential and versatility for manufacturing high quality, complex, precision metal parts. However, for novel powder compositions the LPBF process development is very time consuming and cost intensive due to the layer wise melting and the powder prices. This research work investigates the manufacturing of single and layered multi-material structures in a novel modular lab-scaled LPBF machining system through individual process and material development. The developed system allows the use of different laser sources, optical arrangements, individual sensor and actuator integration. In addition, the modular LPBF system enables the manufacturing of specimens with a minimum amount of powder, individual mixed powder compositions or layered multi-material parts. In an application example, a multi-material specimen made out of stainless steel 316L and Bronze 90/10 was manufactured in alternating layers. For this approach, a parameter study was performed for each material to investigate the influence of the volumetric energy density (VED) on the specimen density, surface flatness and reduced mixing zone formation. Afterwards, optimized parameters were used to demonstrate the feasibility of the system to produce a multi-material layered 316L-Bronze part.

Effect of heat treatment on fatigue crack growth in IN718/316L multiple-materials layered structures fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Multi-material specimens of 316L stainless steel and IN718 were produced in a layered architecture by the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) process. Specimens were heat treated at temperatures tailored for the combination of 316L and IN718. The effect of the heat treatment on the microstructure and on the tensile properties across the layers was investigated. Two heat-treated bi-layer specimens (No.1 and No.2) and one heat-treated 4-layer specimen (No.3) were tested under 3 point bending fatigue to compare the crack propagation resistance through multiple sets of dissimilar material interfaces. It was found that the crack propagation resistance overall is mainly controlled by the local microstructural strength, while the interface transition is most significant at lower values of stress intensity factor range (ΔK < 20 MPa√m).

Mechanical Behaviour of Macroscopic Interfaces for 3D Printed Multi-material Samples

The development of 3D Printing technologies introduced new possibilities regarding multi-material part production. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is one of those technologies suitable for multi-material 3D printing. Usually, multi-material parts are manufactured from different blends of the same material, also known as multi-colour 3D printing, or from materials with good chemical compatibility. Conventionally, a simple face-to-face bond interface between parts’ bodies and a chemical bond between thermoplastics define the mechanical performance of multi-material components. In this regard, the paper aimed to investigate the strength of the contact interface of multi-material specimens using a geometrical approach. Therefore, multiple interlocking interfaces were investigated, such as omega shape, T-shape, dovetail, and others for samples made of low-compatibility thermoplastic materials, acrylic styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The results showed that macroscopic inter-locking interfaces are significantly increasing the mechanical properties.

Sandwich Multi-Material 3D-Printed Polymers: Influence of Aging on the Impact and Flexure Resistances.

With the advances in new materials, equipment, and processes, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained increased importance for producing the final parts that are used in several industrial areas, such as automotive, aeronautics, and health. The constant development of 3D-printing equipment allows for printing multi-material systems as sandwich specimens using, for example, double-nozzle configurations. The present study aimed to compare the mechanical behavior of multi-material specimens that were produced using a double-nozzle 3D printer. The materials that were included in this study were the copolymer acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The configuration of the sandwich structures consisted of a core of TPU and the outer skins made of one of the other three materials. The mechanical behavior was evaluated through three-point bending (3PB) and transverse impact tests and compared with mono-material printed specimens. The effect of aging in artificial saliva was evaluated for all the processed materials. The main conclusion of this study was that the aging process did not significantly alter the mechanical properties for mono-materials, except for PMMA, where the maximum flexural stress decreased. In the sandwich structures, the TPU core had a softening effect, inducing a significant increase in the resilience and resistance to transverse impact. The obtained results are quite promising for applications in biomedical devices, such as protective mouthguards or teeth aligners. In these specific applications, the changes in the mechanical properties with time and with the contact of saliva assume particular importance.

Preliminary Study on Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Multimaterials ABS/PC Parts: Effect of Printing Parameters

This research work highlights the mechanical properties of multi-material by fused deposition modelling (FDM). The specimens for tensile and flexural test have been printed using polycarbonate (PC) material at different combinations of printing parameters. The effects of varied printing speed, infill density and nozzle diameter on the mechanical properties of specimens have been investigated. Multi-material specimens were fabricated with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as the base material and PC as the reinforced material at the optimum printing parameter combination. The specimens were then subjected to mechanical testing to observe their tensile strength, Young’s modulus, percentage elongation, flexural strength and flexural modulus. The outcome of replacing half of ABS with PC to create a multi-material part has been examined. As demonstrated by the results, the optimum combination of printing parameters is 60 mm/s printing speed, 15% infill density and 0.8 mm nozzle diameter. The combination of ABS and PC materials as reinforcing material has improved the tensile strength (by 38.46%), Young’s modulus (by 23.40%), flexural strength (by 23.90%) and flexural modulus (by 37.33%) while reducing the ductility by 14.31% as compared to pure ABS. The results have been supported by data and graphs of the analysed specimens.

Enhancing shape memory properties of multi-layered and multi-material polymer composites in 4D printing

The shape memory behavior of smart materials is widely used for stimulation or shape-shifting purposes. Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can shape and force recoveries accompanied by attractive attributes such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and universality. In this paper, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) is used as a complementary material for 4D printed polylactic acid (PLA) structures to enhance their shape and force recovery properties and lower the stimulation temperature for more practical implementations. Two approaches are followed to provide SMP composites (SMPCs): multi-layered and multi-material lattices. In multi-layered lattices, specimens are comprised of separate layers and different ratios of SMP and TPE materials. For comparison, PLA-TPE filaments with the same ratios of multi-layered lattices are produced and used to fabricate multi-material lattices. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis tests showed a reduction in the glass transition temperature of the manufactured PLA-TPE filament. X-ray diffraction test was conducted to prove that the crystallinity of the developed PLA-TPE material increases which explains the better shape memory effect in the multi-material specimens. Phase separation occurred in low ratios of TPE in PLA, discernible in field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images, resultting in low quality in one of the developed PLA-TPE filaments. FESEM images also showed proper miscibility of TPE in PLA in higher ratios. Thermomechanical tests were done on printed specimens to examine and compare the shape and force recovery of the produced SMPCs. While the shape recovery of multi-material samples was not as good as multi-layered samples, both approaches have better shape recovery results than the PLA sample. Due to a lower glass transition temperature in multi-material lattices, their shape recovery process started at lower temperatures widening their potential practical applications. Force recovery of multi-material samples revealed a significant improvement which was due to more oriented crystalline polymer structures.