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3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition
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3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 5617

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Kozior

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Department of Metrology and Unconventional Manufacturing Methods, KUT—Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland
Interests: 3D/4D printing; additive manufacturing; FDM/FFF; PJM; SLS; SLM; metrology; tribology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jerzy Bochnia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, Al. Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego 7, 25-314 Kielce, Poland
Interests: 3D/4D printing; mechanical properties of thin-walled models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last 20 years, 3D printing has greatly evolved. This applies to both the development of new additive manufacturing technologies and the chemistry of the materials used, increasing the metrological accuracy of manufactured objects by improving the design of 3D printers and optimizing the mechanical and tribological properties of manufactured objects. Currently, the range of materials used incorporates plastics, ceramics, and metals, including materials with very advanced properties. Three-dimensional printing using new intelligent materials, often based on composites, innovative design, and technological solutions, has evolved into the new concept of 4D printing. This method takes into account another, fourth dimension—time. The shape or properties of a structure can be changed via the implementation of 4D printing. Four-dimensional printing is a kind of new manufacturing philosophy based on four-dimensional printing.

After the initial success of the Special Issue of Materials on “3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications”, we are delighted to introduce this second edition.

The SI will publish innovative scientific research, review articles, and communications related to modern technologies of additive manufacturing and its materials, taking into account innovative tools that also fit into the realities of industrial transformation towards Industry 4.0. The presented Special Issue aims at the publication of the results of both theoretical and experimental research, including research on the following areas:

  • 3D/4D printing;
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Unconventional manufacturing;
  • Metrology in 3D printing;
  • Surface texture analysis;
  • Quality of 3D/4D printed parts;
  • Tribology in 3D printing;
  • Mechanical properties investigation;
  • Thin-walled models
  • Cellular structures
  • Composites materials;
  • 3D/4D printing engineering applications;
  • 3D printing in Industry 4.0 and 5.0;
  • Robotics in 3D printing;
  • Novel 3D printing systems;
  • Review of progress in 3D/4D printing;
  • Manufacturing problems;
  • Machining of 3D printed elements;
  • Process control;
  • Simulation analysis.

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Kozior
Dr. Jerzy Bochnia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • 3D/4D printing
  • thin-walled models
  • cellular structures
  • metrology
  • unconventional manufacturing
  • industry 4.0
  • process control
  • tribology
  • composites materials
  • polymers in 3D printing
  • simulation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 12452 KiB  
Article
Simulation Study on the Impact of Melt Track Overlap Rate on the Forming Result During the Selective Laser Melting of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy
by Chen Liu, Weidong Huang, Hui Wang, Zebin Lin and Zhiyuan Lai
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102314 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 127
Abstract
The melt track overlap rate is a crucial process parameter in selective laser melting (SLM). It exerts a substantial influence on the forming quality of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This paper investigates the impact of different melt track overlap rates on the quality of Ti-6Al-4V [...] Read more.
The melt track overlap rate is a crucial process parameter in selective laser melting (SLM). It exerts a substantial influence on the forming quality of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This paper investigates the impact of different melt track overlap rates on the quality of Ti-6Al-4V samples formed by SLM through a combination of simulation and experimentation. The findings reveal that if the overlap rate is overly small (<14.3%), the powder at the bottom of the overlap zone cannot be fully melted, thereby forming pores. Additionally, the densification effect causes the actual powder spreading thickness to be greater than the theoretical one. Consequently, when the overlap rate is less than 20%, it is challenging to ensure a close bond between the upper and lower melt tracks. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate that an excessive melt track overlap rate will lead to grain growth in the overlap zone and reduce the tensile properties of the sample. Thus, both excessive and insufficient overlap rates are detrimental to the density and mechanical properties of the formed sample. The multi-layer and multi-track model established in this study effectively replicates the actual processing conditions. The retention of the temperature field of the first layer makes the simulation of the melt tracks of the second layer more realistic and reliable. This provides a reference basis for accurately predicting the forming quality of SLM using numerical models in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 6523 KiB  
Article
Improved Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane-Driven 4D Printing of Aluminum Oxide Ceramics
by Zhaozhi Wang, Zhiheng Xin, Zhibin Jiao, Chenliang Wu and Xu Bai
Materials 2025, 18(8), 1750; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18081750 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 320
Abstract
The current deformation scheme used in the 4D printing of ceramics has several disadvantages, such as a poor deformation capacity, high process complexity, and the poor mechanical properties of the product. In order to solve these problems, the deformation scheme introduced in this [...] Read more.
The current deformation scheme used in the 4D printing of ceramics has several disadvantages, such as a poor deformation capacity, high process complexity, and the poor mechanical properties of the product. In order to solve these problems, the deformation scheme introduced in this study utilizes the pyrolytic expansion of polyurethane and the resulting pores to hinder the contraction of the specimen during the ceramization stage. Then, the specimen is composited with a polyurethane-free portion that has a high rate of shrinkage, and deformation is initiated through the interlayer stress mismatch generated by the difference in the shrinkage of the different layers, thus enabling the preparation of complex structural ceramics. This solution is simple and efficient; heat treatment is performed in a single pass, and the precursor specimen is highly deformable. The incorporation capacity of the aluminum oxide ceramic powder was increased by replacing part of the Dow Corning SE 1700 polydimethylsiloxane silicone rubber in the raw material with Dow Corning DC 184 polydimethylsiloxane silicone rubber, which, in turn, improved the mechanical properties of the obtained ceramics by enhancing the solid-phase content of the ceramic powder. Due to the introduction of polyurethane, the ceramic has a secondary pore structure, which has the potential for application in the field of engineering materials and heat insulation materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 26166 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Selected Quality Characteristics of Thin-Walled Models Manufactured Using Powder Bed Fusion Technology
by Tomasz Kozior, Jerzy Bochnia, Alicja Jurago, Piotr Jędrzejewski and Michał Adamczyk
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051134 - 3 Mar 2025
Viewed by 628
Abstract
This publication presents the results of research on selected quality features of sample models made using 3D printing technology from the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) group and a material based on aluminum powder. Two quality areas were analyzed: tensile strength and geometric surface [...] Read more.
This publication presents the results of research on selected quality features of sample models made using 3D printing technology from the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) group and a material based on aluminum powder. Two quality areas were analyzed: tensile strength and geometric surface structure. Strength tests of thin-walled models were carried out for samples with four given thicknesses of 1, 1.4, 1.8, and 2 mm and four printing directions, namely, three in the XZ plane and one in the XY plane. The measurement of the geometric structure was carried out using optical measuring devices and by taking into account the assessment of roughness and waviness parameters. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an analysis of the fracture of samples after rupture was carried out and the surface was assessed for technological defects created in the manufacturing process. The test results showed that for thin-walled sample models, there are certain technological limitations regarding the minimum sample thickness in the manufacturing process and that the strength of thin-walled models in relation to “solid” samples depends on both the sample thickness and the printing direction. Roughness parameters that determine functional quality characteristics such as friction and wear were determined and also showed a dependence on the printing direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 10371 KiB  
Article
Chemical Compatibility of Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 Solid-State Electrolyte Co-Sintered with Li4Ti5O12 Anode for Multilayer Ceramic Lithium Batteries
by Jiangtao Li, Mingsheng Ma, Ya Mao, Faqiang Zhang, Jingjing Feng, Yingchun Lyu, Tu Lan, Yongxiang Li and Zhifu Liu
Materials 2025, 18(4), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040851 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 2567
Abstract
Multilayer ceramic lithium batteries (MLCBs) are regarded as a new type of oxide-based all-solid-state microbattery for integrated circuits and various wearable devices. The chemical compatibility between the solid electrolyte and electrode active materials during the high-temperature co-sintering process is crucial for determining the [...] Read more.
Multilayer ceramic lithium batteries (MLCBs) are regarded as a new type of oxide-based all-solid-state microbattery for integrated circuits and various wearable devices. The chemical compatibility between the solid electrolyte and electrode active materials during the high-temperature co-sintering process is crucial for determining the structural stability and cycling performance of MLCBs. This study focuses on the typical MLCB composite electrodes composed of the NASICON-type Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP) solid electrolyte and the spinel-type Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode material. The thermal behavior, phase structure, morphological evolution, and elemental chemical states of these composite electrodes were systematically investigated over a co-sintering temperature range of 400–900 °C. The results indicate that the reactivity between LATP and LTO during co-sintering is primarily driven by the diffusion of Li from the LTO anode, leading to the formation of TiO2, Li3PO4, and LiTiOPO4. Furthermore, the co-sintered LATP-LTO multilayer composites reveal that the generation of Li3PO4 at the LATP/LTO interface facilitates their co-sintering integration at 800–900 °C, which is essential for the successful fabrication of MLCBs. These findings provide direct evidence and valuable references for the structural and performance optimization of MLCBs in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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29 pages, 28940 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Energy Absorption Capability of 3D Printed Ti-6Al-4V BCC Lattice Structures by Adding Auxiliary Struts
by Jaryong Cho, Eunwoo Kim, Jeong Ho Kim, Chang-Yull Lee and Jin Yeon Cho
Materials 2025, 18(4), 732; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040732 - 7 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 791
Abstract
Lattice structures, composed of interconnected struts, offer an efficient way to reduce structural weight while maintaining structural integrity. Because of this potential, this work aims to investigate and develop an efficient variant form of a BCC (Body-Centered Cubic) lattice structure to enhance the [...] Read more.
Lattice structures, composed of interconnected struts, offer an efficient way to reduce structural weight while maintaining structural integrity. Because of this potential, this work aims to investigate and develop an efficient variant form of a BCC (Body-Centered Cubic) lattice structure to enhance the structural robustness and energy absorption capability, based on the Maxwell stability criterion. And we specifically changed the bending-dominated to stretching-dominated behavior by adding auxiliary struts, according to the theory, and confirmed how this affects the compression behavior of the structure. For this purpose, horizontal auxiliary struts are added for the first time to the BCC structure along with vertical struts. As a macroscale cellular lattice structure, a unit cell size of 12 mm is considered. For the considered macroscale cellular lattice structures, FEA (finite element analysis) is employed to numerically investigate the stress distribution and compressive deformation mechanisms. Then, quasi-static compression tests are carried out to measure the energy absorption performance of the lattice structures manufactured by the EBM (Electron Beam Melting) metal additive manufacturing technique, which has advantages in building lattice structures without supporters. A comprehensive investigation reveals that a newly designed lattice structure offers significant advantages in structural robustness, with energy absorption capability increased by 365% compared to existing structures, achieved by incorporating vertical and cross-shaped horizontal auxiliary struts into the original BCC lattice configuration. The enhanced lattice structures can be utilized in industries where low-weight and high-strength are needed, such as aerospace, marine, and other industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 4058 KiB  
Article
A Dynamic Tensile Method Using a Modified M-Typed Specimen Loaded by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar
by Yuan Lin, Jitang Fan, Xinlu Yu, Yingqian Fu, Gangyi Zhou, Xu Wang and Xinlong Dong
Materials 2025, 18(1), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010149 - 2 Jan 2025
Viewed by 584
Abstract
Obtaining reliable dynamic mechanical properties through experiments is essential for developing and validating constitutive models in material selection and structural design. This study introduces a dynamic tensile method using a modified M-type specimen loaded by a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). A closed [...] Read more.
Obtaining reliable dynamic mechanical properties through experiments is essential for developing and validating constitutive models in material selection and structural design. This study introduces a dynamic tensile method using a modified M-type specimen loaded by a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). A closed M-type specimen was thus employed. Finite element simulations and experiments were used to validate the design of the M-type specimen, which was fabricated using 17-4PH (precipitation hardening) stainless steel powder with a 3D (three-dimensional) selected laser melting (SLM) printer. After verifying force balance and uniform deformation in the tensile region, tensile tests were conducted across strain rates from quasi-static to a strain rate of 5900 s−1. The results demonstrated that this method effectively assessed the dynamic tensile behaviors of stainless steel at high strain rates, and achieved both ultra-high strain rates and large plastic deformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D & 4D Printing in Engineering Applications, 2nd Edition)
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