Tool Path Planning for Directional Freezing-Based Three-Dimensional Printing of Nanomaterials

Abstract

As an emerging and effective nanomanufacturing technology, the directional freezing-based three-dimensional (3D) printing can form 3D nanostructures with complex shapes and superior functionalities, and thus has received ever-increasing publicity in the past years. One of the key challenges in this process is the proper heat management, since the heat-induced melting and solidification process significantly affects the functional integrity and structural integrity of the printed structure. A novel approach for heat prediction out of modeling and optimization is introduced in this study. Based on the prediction, we propose a heuristic tool path planning method. The simulation results demonstrate that the tool path planning highly affects the spatial and temporal temperature distribution of the being printed part, and the optimized tool path planning can effectively improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution, which will consequently enhance the performance of the fabricated nanostructures.