Improved cell growth on additively manufactured Ti64 substrates with varying porosity and nanofibrous coating.

3T3 Swiss albino mouse cells are often used in biotechnological applications. These cells can grow adherently on suitable surfaces. In our study, they were grown on different titanium substrates, comparing commercially available titanium sheets of grade 1 and grade 2, respectively, with Ti64 which was 3D printed with different porosity in order to identify potential substitutes for common well-plates, which could - in case of 3D printed substrates - be produced in various shapes and dimensions and thus broaden the range of substrates for cell growth in biotechnology and tissue engineering. In addition, thin layers of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibers were electrospun on these substrates to add a nanostructure. The common titanium sheets showed lower cell cover factors than common well plates, which could not be improved by the thin nanofibrous coating. However, the Ti sheets with nanofiber mat coatings showed higher cell adhesion and proliferation than pure PAN nanofiber mats. The 3D printed Ti64 substrates prepared by laser metal fusion, on the other hand, enabled significantly higher proliferation of (66 ± 8)% cover factor after three days of cell growth than well plates which are usually applied as the gold standard for cell cultivation ((48 ± 11)% cover factor under identical conditions). Especially the Ti64 samples with higher porosity showed high cell adhesion and proliferation. Our study suggests investigating such porous Ti64 samples further as a potential future optimum for cell adhesion and proliferation.

Quantification and Analysis of Residual Stresses in Braking Pedal Produced via Laser-Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Technology.

This study focuses on the experimental verification of residual stress (RS) in a 3D-printed braking pedal using the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) method with SS316L material. The RS was measured at two representative locations using the hole drilling method (HDM) and the dividing method, which are semi-destructive and destructive methods of RS measurement, respectively. The finite element method (FEM) was used with Ansys Workbench 2020R2 and Simufact Additive 2021 software to determine the magnitude of RS. The results provide insights into how RS is incorporated into metal 3D-printed components and the available tools for predicting RS. This information is essential for experts to improve the accuracy and functionality of SLM parts when post-subtractive or additive manufacturing processes are used. Overall, this study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the effects of RS on 3D-printed metal components, which can inform future research and development in this area.

Topology Optimization of the Clutch Lever Manufactured by Additive Manufacturing.

This article aims to review a redesign approach of a student racing car's clutch lever component, which was topologically optimized and manufactured by Additive Manufacturing (AM). Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis was conducted before and after a Topology Optimization (TO) process in order to achieve equivalent stiffness and the desired safety factor for the optimized part. The redesigned clutch lever was manufactured by using AM-Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and printed from powdered aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg. The final evaluation of the study deals with the experimental test and comparison of the redesigned clutch lever with the existing part which was used in the previous racing car. Using TO as a main redesign tool and AM brought significant changes to the optimized part, especially the following: reduced mass of the component (10%), increased stiffness, kept safety factor above the 3.0 value and ensured the more aesthetic design and a good surface quality. Moreover, using TO and AM gave the opportunity to consolidate multi-part assembly into a single component manufactured by one manufacturing process that reduced the production time. The experimental results justified the simulation results and proved that even though the applied load was almost 1.5× higher than the assumed one, the maximum von Mises stress on the component was still below the yield limit of 220 MPa.

Residual Stress Build-Up in Aluminum Parts Fabricated with SLM Technology Using the Bridge Curvature Method.

In metal 3D printing with Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology, due to large thermal gradients, the residual stress (RS) distribution is complicated to predict and control. RS can distort the shape of the components, causing severe failures in fabrication or functionality. Thus, several research papers have attempted to quantify the RS by designing geometries that distort in a predictable manner, including the Bridge Curvature Method (BCM). Being different from the existing literature, this paper provides a new perspective of the RS build-up in aluminum parts produced with SLM using a combination of experiments and simulations. In particular, the bridge samples are printed with AlSi10Mg, of which the printing process and the RS distribution are experimentally assessed with the Hole Drilling Method (HDM) and simulated using ANSYS and Simufact Additive. Subsequently, on the basis of the findings, suggestions for improvements to the BCM are made. Throughout the assessment of BCM, readers can gain insights on how RS is built-up in metallic 3D-printed components, some available tools, and their suitability for RS prediction. These are essential for practitioners to improve the precision and functionality of SLM parts should any post-subtractive or additive manufacturing processes be employed.

Restoration and Possible Upgrade of a Historical Motorcycle Part Using Powder Bed Fusion.

Reverse engineering is the process of creating a digital version of an existing part without any knowledge in advance about the design intent. Due to 3D printing, the reconstructed part can be rapidly fabricated for prototyping or even for practical usage. To showcase this combination, this study presents a workflow on how to restore a motorcycle braking pedal from material SS316L with the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology. Firstly, the CAD model of the original braking pedal was created. Before the actual PBF printing, the braking pedal printing process was simulated to identify the possible imperfections. The printed braking pedal was then subjected to quality control in terms of the shape distortion from its CAD counterpart and strength assessments, conducted both numerically and physically. As a result, the exterior shape of the braking pedal was restored. Additionally, by means of material assessments and physical tests, it was able to prove that the restored pedal was fully functional. Finally, an approach was proposed to optimize the braking pedal with a lattice structure to utilize the advantages the PBF technology offers.

3D Printed Hollow Off-Axis Profiles Based on Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers: Mechanical Testing and Finite Element Method Analysis.

The aim of the paper is to design, manufacture, and test an off-axis composite profile of circular cross-section. Composite profile based on continuous carbon fibers reinforcing the onyx matrix, i.e., a matrix that consists of nylon and micro carbon fibers, was produced by fused deposition modeling (FDM) method. A buckling test of the six printed composite specimens was performed on a tensile test machine. The values of the experiment were compared with the values of the computational simulation using the Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis. The mean value of the experimentally determined critical force at which the composite profile failed was 3102 N, while the value of the critical force by FEM analysis was calculated to be 2879 N. Thus, reliability of the simulation to determine the critical force differed from the experimental procedure by only 7%. FEM analysis revealed that the primary failure of 3D printed composite parts was not due to loss of stability, but due to material failure. With great accuracy, the results of the comparison show that it is possible to predict the mechanical properties of 3D printed composite laminates on the basis of a theoretical model.

A Review of Vat Photopolymerization Technology: Materials, Applications, Challenges, and Future Trends of 3D Printing.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) has significantly changed the prototyping process in terms of technology, construction, materials, and their multiphysical properties. Among the most popular 3D printing techniques is vat photopolymerization, in which ultraviolet (UV) light is deployed to form chains between molecules of liquid light-curable resin, crosslink them, and as a result, solidify the resin. In this manuscript, three photopolymerization technologies, namely, stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), and continuous digital light processing (CDLP), are reviewed. Additionally, the after-cured mechanical properties of light-curable resin materials are listed, along with a number of case studies showing their applications in practice. The manuscript aims at providing an overview and future trend of the photopolymerization technology to inspire the readers to engage in further research in this field, especially regarding developing new materials and mathematical models for microrods and bionic structures.

Influence of Scanning Strategy Parameters on Residual Stress in the SLM Process According to the Bridge Curvature Method for AISI 316L Stainless Steel.

The present paper deals with the investigation and comparison of the influence of scanning strategy on residual stress in the selective laser melting (SLM) process. For the purpose of the experiment, bridge geometry samples were printed by a 3D metal printer, which exhibited tension after cutting from the substrate, slightly bending the samples toward the laser melting direction. Samples were produced with the variation of process parameters and with a change in scanning strategy which plays a major role in stress generation. It was evaluated using the Bridge Curvature Method (BCM) and optical microscopy. At the end, a recommendation was made.

Summary of numerical analyses for therapeutic uses of laser-activated gold nanoparticles.

The optimal light dose, heat generation, consequent heat spread and an accurate thermal damage model, are key components of effective laser therapies. Recent advances in nanotechnology offer numerous possibilities on how to increase the efficacy of hyperthermia for tumour treatments. Gold nanoparticles are a promising candidate towards the achievement of this goal owing to their properties for efficiently converting light to heat. In this review, we summarise the numerical tools that are available for theoretical studies of gold-nanoparticle-mediated photo-thermal therapy. The processes that occur in the treatments based on light propagation inside biological tissues and the subsequent temperature distributions are considered first, followed by evaluation of the thermal damage. The fundamental ideas underlying the presented methods are described in addition to their applications in photo-thermal therapy and its effects. The descriptions of extensively used tools for the characterisation of nanoparticles across multiple research fields are also presented for estimating the electromagnetic properties of gold nanoparticles (e.g. discrete dipole approximations, finite-difference time-domain simulations), the Monte Carlo model of light propagation in biological tissues, and the Pennes' bio-heat equation. In addition, the Arrhenius damage evaluation and the cumulative effective minutes normalisation methods are described. Finally, recent in vivo and in vitro results from the rapidly growing field of nanomedicine are presented.