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Metallized surfaces, structures are of demand by many industries, however, with the demand for materials with improved properties, cost effectiveness polymers have gained exponential attention. Thus, researchers have focused on metallization of polymers to overcome the drawbacks of polymers. Over the past few decades, the research focus has evolved from metal patterning on 2D polymer substrates to additive manufacturing-based metal patterning and metallization of 3D complex structures to build smarter devices. With the growing needs, metal patterning on non-3D printed polymeric substrates have imposed some limitations to the imagination. 3D polymer structures come to light in this scenario with selective or non-selective metallization of these structures to create complex metallized …

Recent progress in functionalized plastic 3D printing in creation of metallized architectures Read More »

Three-dimensional metallic microstructures have attracted a significant attention with their unique properties to be employed in a vast range of applications. However, the drawbacks of existing manufacturing technologies have prompted researchers’ interest in polymer 3D printing for the creation of complex micro 3D structures followed by metallization. Yet, the conventional metallization techniques may hinder the uniformity of metallic layer. Hence in this paper, we have established micro 3D printing with a catalyst resin which enables uniform metallization of complex microstructure surfaces through electroless deposition (ELD). The resin is infused with catalyst precursor to facilitate catalytic action required for ELD. The developed, optimized procedure of ELD with pre-treatment of structures enhances …

Modified polymer 3D printing enables the formation of functionalized micro-metallic architectures Read More »

The collection capacity of common nasopharyngeal swabs and irregularities of medical personnel limit the accuracy of PCR testing. This study describes a newly designed 3D-printed swab that is combined with a 3D-printed cover to prevent the extraction of undesired nasal secretions. This swab improved the accuracy of PCR test results. The results of a series of experiments showed that, because of the mucus extraction effect, 3D-printed swabs can replace ordinary cotton swabs. The crisis of the worldwide medical supply shortage can be ameliorated to a certain extent by applying 3D printing technology. Huang, F., Song, K., Jiang, Y., Hirose, K., & Umezu, S. (2022).Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, …

3D-printed swab with cover for precision diagnosis Read More »

Constructing precise metal patterns on complex three-dimensional (3D) plastic parts allows the fabrication of functional devices for advanced applications. However, it is currently expensive and requires complex processes. This study demonstrates a process for the fabrication of 3D metal-plastic composite structures with arbitrarily complex shapes. A light-cured resin is modified to prepare the active precursor allowing subsequent electroless plating (ELP). A multimaterial digital light processing 3D printer was newly developed to fabricate the parts containing regions made of either standard resin or active precursor nested within each other. Selective 3D ELP processing of such parts provided various metal-plastic composite parts having complicated hollow structures with specific topological relationships with the …

New Metal-Plastic Hybrid Additive Manufacturing for Precise Fabrication of Arbitrary Metal Patterns on External and Even Internal Surfaces of 3D Plastic Structures Read More »