Multi-nozzle MF3 technology can improve 3D printing.

Although 3D printing technology continues to improve, it is still limited by relatively long print times and low resolution. New technology can help by using multiple small print nozzles at the same time instead of one large one.

In a typical FDM (Flexible Deposition Modeling) 3D printer, molten plastic or resin is extruded through a nozzle, where a three-dimensional object is built up in successively deposited layers that bond together as they cool. During the printing process, the nozzle moves across the print bed via a structure known as a gantry.

Needless to say, printing large items in this fashion can take a lot of time. It is possible to speed up the process by using a larger nozzle – thus allowing more items to be placed at once – but doing so results in larger layers of material, which gives the finished item a higher quality and lower quality appearance.

That’s where Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication (MF3) comes in.

Developed by a team at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the technology consists of multiple small nozzles mounted on a single gantry. As that gantry moves, each nozzle automatically ejects or inhibits the material based on its position relative to the object being printed.

This means that different parts of the material are printed at the same time from relatively thin layers. As a result, the object is printed quickly, but also with high quality.

Rutgers University

“The core of our technology is the control software we developed to independently control material deposition for each nozzle, even though all nozzles follow the same motion,” said Chief Scientist Jeremy Kleiman. “We can make sure that the stored thread is properly connected to the previously frozen thread.”

In addition to being used to print single large objects, the MF3 can also print many small objects at once. And as an added bonus, if one of the nozzles fails, the software reverses the printing process so one or more other nozzles can pick up the slack.

“We have more tests to run to understand the strength and geometric capabilities of the parts we’re making, but as long as these elements are in place, we believe this could be a game changer for the industry,” Kleiman said.

A paper on the study was recently published in the journal More production.

Source: Rutgers University