AsianScientist (Oct. 14, 2014) – Scientists have developed a conceptual 3D printing method with “ink” consisting of a metal alloy that has a melting point slightly above room temperature, allowing for the 3D printing of metal objects in the liquid phase. This research has been published in the journal SCIENCE CHINA Technological Sciences.
The ability to use 3D printing for metal objects would facilitate the development of functional electronics, medical devices and more. However, conventional 3D metal printing is generally restricted to metals with a high melting point and is a time and energy consuming process.
The present study by Drs. Liu Jing and Wang Lei from the Beijing Key Laboratory of CryoBiomedical Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences presents a liquid-phase 3D printing technique for the rapid manufacturing of a conductive metal object in one, two or three dimensions. Compared with air cooling in conventional 3D printing, their liquid-phase manufacturing process prevents the metal ink from oxidation.
The research team developed a low melting point metal, an alloy called Bi35In48.6Sn16Zn0.4 composed of bismuth, indium, tin and zinc, for use as a 3D printing ink. In recent years, metals with a low melting point—especially metals that melt at room temperature—have attracted extensive attention in the areas of computer chip cooling, thermal interface materials, and microfluidics.
Using their low melting point allow, the researchers were able to print metal objects at a relatively high speed of manufacture while maintaining control over the temperature and rate of flow. Furthermore, by controlling the flow velocity and direction of the cooling fluid, they were able to realize unique 3D metal structures, such as a 3D rotating body.
The researchers also suggested a scheme to streamline the fabrication process, using a combination of a syringe pump array to extract the liquid metal and a syringe needle array to inject the ink into the cooling fluid.
The article can be found at: Wang and Liu (2014) Liquid Phase 3D Printing for Quickly Manufacturing Conductive Metal Objects with Low Melting Point Alloy Ink.
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Source: Science China Press.
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