Fabrication process of smooth functionally graded materials through a real-time inline control of the component ratio. Issue 16 (December 2021) - Guo, Weiwei
Abstract: Functionally graded materials (FGMs) play an essential role in tissue engineering because of their satisfactory histocompatibility and excellent mechanical performance. While traditional manufacturing methods allow production of simple FGMs, precise control of composition and customized property at transition between the dissimilar materials is still a challenge. Here, an extrusion-based functionally graded additive manufacturing (FGAM) platform was developed to generate smooth graded parts by thrusting out monolithic cylindrical filaments with high viscosity. Furthermore, the rheological properties, hydrodynamic behavior, and mixed homogeneity of the non-Newtonian fluids were studied. Therefore, the appropriate solid contents, alternative energy-efficient mixers, and optimized printing parameters were proved to be beneficial for an outstanding deposition effect of the suspension. Ultimately, an object with smooth gradient was successfully manufactured. The validity of this strategy was verified via optical microscopy combined with an image processing method to gauge homogeneity and a scanning electron microscope to investigate graded composition and microstructure.