Welcome to the Additive Manufacturing Laboratory!

Printer Design for High-Viscosity Materials

Many commercial printers are incapable of consistently printing high-viscosity slurries such as particulate-loaded thermosetting composites. The Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (AML) designs and fabricated custom printers specific to the needs of a high particulate-loaded composite in order to achieve consistent flow properties.

3D Printing Thermosetting Binders

Extrusion printing thermosetting binders is an interesting, multidisciplinary problem that requires a strong grasp on viscoelastic response and chemical kinetics. To resolve adhesion mechanisms in molded, laminate molded, and 3D printed materials, our group performs a variety of techniques including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, rheology, infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, universal testing, and digital image correlation.

Digital Image Correlation

To pinpoint adhesive versus cohesive failure in 3D printed materials, the AML relies on digital image correlation in conjunction with universal tensile testing. By changing the interface history of 3D printed thermosets, we can identify changes in strain field evolution by imaging specimens while they undergo tensile testing.