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Advanced 3D Printing Polymeric Materials: Design, Fabrication and Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 709

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Institute Polytechnic of Leiria, Rua de Portugal, 2430-028 Marinha Grande, Portugal
Interests: additive manufacturing; X-ray and neutron scattering coupled to operando experiments durng polymer processing ; functional materials; including electrically conductive polymers and liquid crystal elastomers
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has been over 40 years since the initial development of stereolithography opened the door on a new approach to manufacturing. From there, alternative technologies, such as powder bed methods, including selective laser melting, and extruder-based 3D printing have quickly developed. Researchers soon realized that not only did we have a new approach to manufacturing but that we could also produce parts which were impossible to create beforehand. The mass potential for personalization attracted those who designed scaffolds essential for tissue engineering, for which polymers were particular suited. After 40 years, this seems an excellent time to pause and reflect on the new concepts of today. In recent years we have seen the emergence of big area additive manufacturing and the emergence of two new areas, construction and food printing; there are many more. With this Special Issue, we plan to capture the exciting new research steps which are being made today in the field of additive 3D printing, whether it relates to the technology, to the materials, or to the applications it enables. This Special Issue welcomes reviews on new concepts, new technologies, or new applications. Research articles are welcome in any relevant field but especially those which push the envelope of additive manufacturing in new directions.

I look forward to reading your manuscript in the future.

With best wishes for your research,

Prof. Dr. Geoffrey R. Mitchell
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • additive manufacturing
  • new technologies
  • modeling
  • design
  • in situ measurements
  • applications

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 3628 KB  
Article
Dimensional Fidelity and Slicer Mass Prediction Bias in FFF-Printed UAV Micro-Frames: A Material-Dependent Comparative Study
by Panagiotis Panagos, Antreas Kantaros, Theodore Ganetsos and Michail Papoutsidakis
Materials 2026, 19(8), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19081507 - 9 Apr 2026
Viewed by 358
Abstract
Objective: This study investigates the influence of selecting three thermoplastics as raw materials (PLA, PETG, and ABS) on dimensional accuracy, defect formation, and slicer-based mass prediction reliability in FFF 3D-printed UAV micro-frames. Methods: A factorial experimental design combining three materials, two micro-frame geometries, [...] Read more.
Objective: This study investigates the influence of selecting three thermoplastics as raw materials (PLA, PETG, and ABS) on dimensional accuracy, defect formation, and slicer-based mass prediction reliability in FFF 3D-printed UAV micro-frames. Methods: A factorial experimental design combining three materials, two micro-frame geometries, and two infill levels was implemented. Print quality was assessed through structured visual inspection of common FFF defects, while manufacturing reliability was evaluated by comparing slicer-predicted and experimentally measured mass. Dimensional fidelity was quantified at critical motor mount features using repeated micrometric measurements and dedicated accuracy and uniformity indices. Results: The results reveal strong material-dependent behaviour. PLA exhibited the highest dimensional consistency and near-zero mean mass prediction error, PETG showed intermediate performance, and ABS presented significant warping, together with a pronounced positive mass prediction bias. These findings indicate systematic discrepancies between predicted and measured mass values and highlight the need for material-dependent calibration of slicing software. Conclusions: Material selection and process calibration strongly affect dimensional fidelity and manufacturing reliability in FFF-printed UAV micro-frames. The findings provide practical guidance for material choice and slicing parameter adjustment in UAV fabrication and similar small-scale FFF applications. Full article
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