Additive manufacturing of multi-material and hollow structures by Embedded Extrusion-Volumetric Printing

Area of Science:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Science
• 3D Printing Technologies

Background:

• Tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM) offers faster printing speeds compared to traditional methods.
• TVAM allows for embedding external objects, enabling complex multi-part assemblies through overprinting.
• Recent advancements have expanded TVAM material capabilities to include acrylates, ceramics, and glasses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel method for multi-material tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing.
• To overcome the challenge of creating multi-material parts without resorting to overprinting.
• To demonstrate the fabrication of complex multi-material structures and microfluidic devices.

Main Methods:

• Combining tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing with Embedded 3D printing.
• Utilizing photopolymerizable support baths to precisely deposit inks.
• Achieving consecutive material definition and volumetric printing within the TVAM process.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of multi-material structures with arbitrarily positioned components.
• Demonstrated creation of microfluidic chips featuring microchannels with diameters below 120 µm.
• Enabled precise control over material placement in volumetric 3D printing.

Conclusions:

• The presented approach successfully enables multi-material fabrication using tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing.
• This technique expands the design possibilities for complex, multi-material objects and microdevices.
• The method offers a versatile platform for advanced additive manufacturing applications.