Rotational additive manufacturing using polymer fibres could make prosthetics stronger. Ellis Davies reports.
A novel circular 3D-printing method could give better control over the arrangement of short fibres in polymer matrices, which enables the creation of structural materials optimised for strength, stiffness, and damage tolerance. Developed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, USA, the method, known as rotational 3D printing, could have a wide range of applications such as the manufacture of prosthetics, sporting equipment, and low cost mould for composites.
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