Optimizing the Properties of Polymers and Composites Made by Additive Manufacturing

拟议的研究计划集中于对使用数字加法制造的材料的加工、结构和机械性能之间的关系进行分析和建模。术语“添加制造”，也称为“3D打印”，描述了许多不同的工艺，其中固体组件是通过沉积非常薄的材料层来构建的，这些材料层熔合或结合到先前沉积的层的材料上。商业机器已经被用来以这种方式沉积各种材料：聚合物、金属、陶瓷、复合材料，甚至生物兼容的人体组织支架。在所有情况下，各个层(最终是整个部分)都是直接从数字文件渲染的。这允许在零件的构思和实际三维对象的创建之间进行非常快速的转变。因此，加法制造也被广泛地称为“快速成型”。

The proposed program of research centers on the analysis and modeling of the relationship between processing, structure, and mechanical properties of materials made using digital additive manufacturing. The term “additive manufacturing”, also known as “3D printing”, describes a number of different processes in which a solid component is constructed by depositing very thin layers of material that fuse or bond to the material of the previously deposited layer. Commercial machines have been made to deposit a variety of materials in this way: polymers, metals, ceramics, composites, and even biocompatible human tissue scaffolds. In all cases, the individual layers (and eventually the entire part) are rendered directly from a digital file. This allows for a very quick turnaround between the conception of a part and the creation of the actual three-dimensional object. Hence additive manufacturing has also been widely referred to as “rapid prototyping”.