2022 Additive Manufacturing of Soft Materials Gordon Research Conference
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3D printing, is a growing technology that promises to disrupt both traditional manufacturing techniques, which is projected to be a 1 trillion-dollar industry by 2030 and has spawned a large number of startup companies all over the country. The rapid development of 3D printing technology creates new demands and opportunities, especially in the applications for biomedicine and soft robotics. As such, research efforts into 3D printing have been highly interdisciplinary, requiring the efforts of mechanical, biomedical and computer engineering, and more recently, chemistry. Particularly in the area of polymer manufacturing, AM offers incredible opportunities for the manufacture of custom materials that would be cost-ineffective to produce on small scales or using designs that are currently not possible using existing manufacturing. The next great leap for 3D printing will come from the development of new materials and methodology. For this to occur, collaboration is paramount, and the first step is to bring the great minds at the interface of these key areas together. The GRC sponsored meeting we are proposing will include topics related to the 3D printing of Òsoft materialsÓ such as organic polymers, hydrogels and composites. In general, the study of these types of soft materials share similar design concepts, tools for characterization, and synthetic chemistry. Therefore, there is significant overlap between researchers in this community (in contrast with hard materials), making it likely that this set of topics will be conducive to a GRC with large attendance and interest. This meeting will not cover topics related to AM of metals, ceramics or other inorganic materials. In addition to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering, this meeting will also include topics on design, art and architecture, computational modeling, and the environmental implications of AM. Gordon Conferences are renowned for their close-knit atmosphere which will be conducive to fostering the collaborations needed to advance this field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 14, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2210108
Entities
People
- Ronald A Smaldone
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Gordon Research Conferences
- United States Army