I-Corps: 3D Printing of carbon fiber reinforced polymer on contoured surfaces

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将来自一种新的3D打印技术，该技术可以通过提供更高强度重量比的产品、实现设计功能的集成材料和高度的特征定制来满足小体积/智能设备的关键需求。具有最佳形状和功能特性的3D打印部件在汽车，航空航天，环境监测和医疗领域具有众多潜在应用。随着商业无人机应用的潜在引入，该技术将满足对灵活有效载荷载体制造技术的需求，这些技术可以根据有效载荷的特定重量、强度和设计要求进行定制。此外，本项目中描述的技术将为定制辅助设备提供另一种制造方法，有可能减少生产时间，减少浪费和能源消耗，降低成本，提高辅助设备定制和用户性能。最后，在这些设备中嵌入诸如在皮肤界面上监测加速度或温度和压力等新功能的能力与社会对可穿戴传感器日益增长的兴趣相一致。I-Corps项目将为目标客户确定新型3D打印技术的关键价值主张，并量化在多个应用领域使用该技术制造的设备的市场价值。将调查与该技术一致的一般领域内的关键战略合作伙伴和主要竞争对手。该项目的智力价值在于，将获得有关应用驱动的纤维增强聚合物3D打印需求的新知识，从而实现智能功能设备的定制制造。这种先进的3D打印技术重新配置并扩展了熔融沉积建模（FDM） 3D打印方法的功能，使连续纤维复合材料能够沿着多个平面的曲率进行3D打印，包括悬垂特征。这项技术的初步结果已经在中尺度上展示了第一个面外3D打印的例子。从I-Corps项目中获得的新知识将为进一步的技术进步提供信息和指导，以开发针对尺寸、强度、分辨率和材料多样性等特定应用需求的打印系统。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project will derive from a new 3D printing technology that can address critical needs in small volume/smart devices by providing products with increased strength-to-weight ratios, integrated materials that enable designed functionality, and a high degree of feature customization. 3D printed components with optimal shape and functional properties have a multitude of potential applications in the automotive, aerospace, environmental monitoring and medical fields. With the potential introduction of commercial drone applications, this technology will meet an increased need for flexible payload carrier fabrication techniques that can be customized for payload specific weight, strength, and design requirements. Additionally, the technology described in this project will provide an alternative fabrication approach for customized assistive devices that has the potential to decrease production time, lower waste and energy consumption, decrease costs, improve assistive device customization and user performance. Lastly, the ability to embed novel capabilities such as monitoring acceleration or temperature and pressure at the skin interface into these devices aligns with a growing societal interest in wearable sensors.This I-Corps project will identify the key value propositions of a novel 3D printing technology for targeted customers and quantify the market value for devices fabricated with this technology across several application areas. Key strategic partners and major competitors within the general areas that align with this technology will be investigated. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the new knowledge that will be obtained regarding application driven needs for 3D printing of fiber reinforced polymers that enable customized fabrication of smart, functional devices. This advanced 3D printing technology reconfigures and extends the functionality of a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing approach to enable 3D printing of continuous fiber composite materials along curvatures on multiple planes, including overhanging features. Preliminary results from this technology have demonstrated the first example of out-of-plane 3D printing at the meso-scale. The new knowledge resulting from this I-Corps project will inform and direct further technological advancements towards the development of a printing system targeted for specific application needs in size, strength, resolution, and material diversity.