Rigid or Elastic? The Plastic Material that Changes Properties Thanks to 3D Printing

In recent years, many university research projects have been developing multifunctional materials through additive manufacturing. In the medical field, for example, it is important to create fabrics capable of regenerating organs or bone structures and design advanced biomedical devices. At the same time, other sectors are creating new 3D printable materials, offering a wide range of potential applications.

To demonstrate this, Alice Fergerson and a team of engineers from Princeton University, led by Emily Davidson, have developed a plastic material capable of adopting different levels of flexibility. The material, composed of a class of polymers known as TPEs, enables the design and manufacture of flexible 3D-printed structures whose rigidity can be adjusted. Thanks to 3D printing, engineers have been able to control the physical properties of this material, enabling the fabric to stretch and bend repeatedly in one direction while retaining rigidity in another.

The Characteristics of Plastic Material

The thermoplastic elastomer selected by the Princeton University engineering team is a block copolymer that can be molded when molten. As it cools, it solidifies to form an elastic structure. This phenomenon is explained by the behavior of the copolymer’s internal components, composed of homopolymers, which separate like oil and water rather than mixing. The researchers used this characteristic to create a material consisting of rigid cylinders dispersed in an elastic matrix, enabling the material to remain flexible while retaining its internal properties.