3D Printing

Additive manufacturing through fused filament fabrication (FFF) consists of creating a 3-dimensonal object by depositing a thermoplastic filament layer by layer. While originally being a tool for prototyping, benefits such as low waste, simple storage, low labor, and quick adaptability has made the technology feasible for the manufacturing industry. 

This push to incorporate FFF into industry has increased research in obtaining strong sustainable composite thermoplastic materials to meet industrial and environmental needs. Our research group focuses on understanding material parameters, obtaining new materials for 3D printing, optimizing material parameters for FFF manufacturing. 

We largely focus on desktop and large scale FFF printing, from understanding material performance of a mechanical prototyped part to properties of printed furniture.