Rutgers University
Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication (MF3)
Engineers at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, have created a way to 3D print large and complex parts at what they say will be a fraction of the cost of current methods.
The new approach, called Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication (MF3), uses a single gantry, the sliding structure on a 3D printer, to print individual or multiple parts simultaneously. The team programmed the prototype to move in efficient patterns, using a series of small nozzles rather than a single large nozzle.
The single large nozzle is more conventional in 3D printing, using small nozzles to deposit molten material instead, the researchers were able to increase printing resolution and size as well as significantly decrease printing time.
“We have more tests to run to understand the strength and geometric potential of the parts we can make, but as long as those elements are there, we belive this could be a game changer for the industry,” said Jeremy Cleeman, a graduate student researcher at the Rutgers School of Engineering and the lead author of the study.
Larger-diameter nozzles are faster than smaller ones but generate more ridges and contours that must be smoothed out later, adding significant post-production costs. The smaller nozzles deposit material with greater resolution, but current methods with conventional software are too slow to be cost effective.
The software that is used is a key part of the MF3 innovation. Rutgers researchers wrote slicer software that optimised the movement of the gantry arm and determined when the nozzles should be turned on and off to achieve the highest efficiency. In the study published by the researchers, they say the new strategy, which the team has coined the “toolpath strategy”, can “concurrently print multiple, geometrically distinct, non-contiguous parts of varying sizes,” using a single printer.
One of the benefits stated by Cleeman is the fact that the hardware used in MF3 can be purchased off the shelf and does not need to be customised, making potential adoption easier. When using conventional methods, the whole process must be halted if the nozzle fails. In MF3 printing, the work of a malfunctioning nozzle can be assumed by another nozzle on the same arm.
The paper detailing the new method and the researchers' findings can be found here.
