Novel micro/nano scale characterisation of interfaces in multi-material additive manufacturing (3D-printing)

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D-printing has many applications in automotive, engineering, healthcare, aerospace, defence, and in the current work. Multi-material additive manufacturing is the combination of different materials within a print to enhance the performance of a component and/or final product. Although AM in its various forms allows for the use of a wide range of materials, not all of them are compatible with each other. This can be problematic when designing interfaces that need to connect or overlap parts in complex geometric products.

My PhD research “Novel micro/nano scale characterisation of interfaces in multi-material additive manufacturing (3D printing)” aims to understand, detect, and improve the interfaces and micro/nanostructures of AM printed from functional multi-materials. This will help to build and enhance reliable process workflows for next-generation additive manufacturing. To achieve this goal, different materials and methodologies were employed throughout. AM is a technology that enables multi-disciplinary applications, here I will focus on its use in the pharmaceutical and engineering fields.

Data collection and interpretation are explained and evaluated correspondingly to clarify the recent context of the data management and legislation transformation in terms of Point-of-Care (POC) manufacturing of medicines (Chapter 3). I then develop suitable techniques to verify the interfaces and micro/nano structures with case studies from analysing 3D-printed commercialised and lab-based electronics (Chapter 4). I continue examining the principal properties of new ink formulations to clarify the physiochemical compatibilities in AM (Chapter 5). I close by indicating key factors to effectively monitor the interfaces in multi-materials AM and specifying reliable processes for qualified co-printed products in pharmaceutical sector (Chapter 6).

In summary, findings from this study based on micro- and nanoscale characterisation of the interfaces of multi-materials show the potential of the UK and others to develop and trial novel medicines via POC manufacturing that can be safely regulated and monitored, particularly for additive manufacturing and lay the groundwork for optimal workflows for the analysis of interfaces in multi-material AM prints.