3D printing of self-responsive polymers for aeronautical applications

In the present work, a new category of cutting-edge devices for aeronautical applications involving the innovative production process of 3D printing is presented. As an additive manufacturing, 3D printing allows producing objects with complicated shapes simply by adding the building material layer by layer without any material waste and any molds. Among several 3D printing technologies, the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is the most suitable one in the field of thermoplastic materials [1]. With respect to the current literature, the present study aims to extend this technology to self-responsive materials, able to sense external stimuli appropriately [2]. In particular, promising 3D printed self-heating objects have been made of nanocomposite material (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene ABS filled with Carbon Nano-Tubes CNT) via FDM. In this case, the external stimulus is the electrical current flowing inside the printed item, while its response consists of an increase in temperature by the Joule effect. Moreover, the electrical properties have been tailored by properly determining the direction of printed filaments allowing the management of the generated heat in different zones of the printed object. The phenomenon of filler orientation in the printing direction has been well documented by properly mapping the distribution of conductive filler and correlating it to the electrical properties of the whole sample.