Additive manufacturing: Sustainable manufacturing of flexible sensors, systems and devices

摘要: Unlike subtractive manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing (AM), also called as 3D printing, can directly produce complex three‐dimensional parts. With near-complete design freedom, it is advantageous in markets that have a demand for customization, flexibility, design complexity, and high transportation costs. This process holds a great deal of potential for manufacturing novel designs and materials for sensors, electronics, energy conversion and storage devices, which were previously inaccessible due to the constraints of traditional manufacturing methods. Like any other manufacturing technology, AM suffers from certain limitations that hinder the use of AM in the field of sensor and energy research: 1) lack of materials available for AM; 2) multi-material AM; and 3) feature size and accuracy. In order to overcome these limitations, my team and I have developed a universal multi-material 3D printer that …