Non-planar additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as microextrusion 3D printing processes, offer the ability to fabricate conformal electronics with impressive structure and function on curvilinear substrates. Although various available methods offer conformal 3D printing capability on objects with limited geometric complexity, a number of challenges remain to improve feature resolution, throughput, materials compatibility, resultant function and properties of printed components, and application to substrates of varying topography. Hence, the overall objective of this dissertation was to create new non-planar AM processes that are compatible with personalized and anatomical computer-aided design workflows for the fabrication of conformal electronics and form-fitting wearables.
After reviewing the current state of knowledge and state of the art, significant challenges in non-planar AM have been identified as: 1) limited non-planar AM path planning capability that synergizes with personalized or anatomical object surface modification, 2) limited approaches for printed and non-printed component integration on non-planar substrates. To address these challenges, a template-based reverse engineering workflow is proposed for conformal 3D printing electronics and form-fitting wearable devices on anatomical structures. This work was organized into three complementary tasks that enhance non-planar AM capabilities:
1） To achieve anatomical tissue-sensor integration, 3D scanning-based point cloud data acquisition and customized 3D printable conductive ink are proposed for capturing the topographical information of patient-specific malformations and integrating conformal sensing electronics across anatomical tissue-device interface.
2） To fabricate conformal antennas on flexible thin-film polymer substrates, a versatile method for microextrusion 3D printing of conformal antennas on thin film-based structures of random topography is proposed to control the ink deposition process across the curvilinear surfaces of freeform Kapton-based origami.
3） To simplify the fabrication process of form-fitting wearable devices with fiber-based form factors and self-powered capability, an innovative 3D printing process is proposed to achieve coaxial multi-material extrusion of metal-elastomer triboelectric fibers.
By developing new advanced non-planar printing processes and conformal toolpath programming strategies, the utility of non-planar AM could be further expanded for fabricating various personalized implantable and wearable multi-functional systems, including novel 3D electronics. In summary, this work advances capability in additive manufacturing processes by providing new advances in multi-material extrusion processes and personalized device design and manufacturing workflows. / Doctor of Philosophy / The ability to assemble electronic devices on three-dimensional objects with complex geometry is essential for developing next-generation wearable devices. Additive manufacturing processes, commonly referred to as 3D printing, now offer the ability to fabricate conformal electronics on surfaces and objects with non-planar geometry. This dissertation aims to expand non-planar 3D printing capabilities for applications to objects with anatomical or personalized structures, such as patient-specific malformation and origami.
The proposed methods in this dissertation are focused on addressing challenges, such as the acquisition of object 3D topographical data, material selection, and tool path programming for objects that exhibit anatomical geometry. The utility of the proposed methods is demonstrated with practical applications to 3D-printed conformal electronics and wearable devices for monitoring human behavior and organ healthcare.
This dissertation contributes to improving manufacturing capability and outcomes of 3D-printed form-fitting wearable and implantable devices. Future work may emphasize developing biocompatible functional ink and toolpath programming algorithms with real-time adaptation capability.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/111831 |
| Date | 23 March 2021 |
| Creators | Tong, Yuxin |
| Contributors | Industrial and Systems Engineering, Johnson, Blake, Kong, Zhenyu, Robertson, John L., Senger, Ryan S. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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