Matter Assembly Computation Lab

This paper introduces open-source contributions designed to accelerate research in volumetric multi-material additive manufacturing and metamaterial design. We present a flexible Python-based API facilitating parametric expression of multi-material gradients, integration with external libraries, multi-material lattice structure design, and interoperability with finite element modeling. Novel implicit multi-material modeling techniques enable detailed spatial grading at multiple scales within lattice structures. Additionally, our framework integrates with finite element analysis, offering predictive simulations via adaptive mesh sizing and direct import of simulation results to guide material distributions. Practical case studies illustrate the utility of these contributions, including functionally graded lattices, algorithmically generated structures, and simulation-informed designs, exemplified by a multi-material bicycle seat optimized for mechanical performance and rider comfort. Finally, we introduce a mesh export strategy compatible with standard slicing software, significantly broadening the accessibility and adoption of functionality graded computational design methodologies for multi-material fabrication.

This paper presents a novel gradient-informed slicing method for functionally graded additive manufacturing (FGM) that overcomes the limitations of conventional toolpath planning approaches, which struggle to produce truly continuous gradients. By integrating multi-material gradients into the toolpath generation process, our method enables the fabrication of FGMs with complex gradients that vary seamlessly in any direction. We leverage OpenVCAD’s implicit representation of geometry and material fields to directly extract iso-contours, enabling accurate, controlled gradient toolpaths. Two novel strategies are introduced to integrate these gradients into the toolpath planning process. The first strategy maintains traditional perimeter, skin, and infill structures subdivided by mixture ratios, with automated ’zippering’ to mitigate stress concentrations. The second strategy fills iso-contoured regions densely, printing directly against gradients to eliminate purging and reduce waste. Both strategies accommodate gradually changing printing parameters, such as mixed filament ratios, toolhead switching, and variable nozzle temperatures for foaming materials. This capability allows for controlled variation of composition, density, and other properties within a single build, expanding the design space for functionally graded parts. Experimental results demonstrate the fabrication of high-quality FGMs with complex, multi-axis gradients, highlighting the versatility of our method. We showcase the successful implementation of both strategies on a range of geometries and material combinations, demonstrating the potential of our approach to produce intricate and functional FGMs. This work provides a robust, open-source, and automated framework for designing and fabricating advanced FGMs, accelerating research in multi-material additive manufacturing.

Abstract Mechanical properties of traditional engineering materials are typically coupled to each other, presenting a challenge to practitioners with multi-dimensional material property requirements. In this work, continuous, independent control over multiple mechanical properties is demonstrated in composite materials realized using additive manufacturing. For the first time, composites additively manufactured from rigid plastic, soft elastomer, and liquid constituents are experimentally characterized, demonstrating materials which span four orders of magnitude in modulus and two orders of magnitude in toughness. By forming analytical mappings between relative concentrations of constituents at the microscale and resulting macroscale material properties, inverse material design is enabled; the method is showcased by printing artifacts with prescribed toughness and elasticity distributions. The properties of these composites are placed in the context of biological tissues, showing they have promise as mechanically plausible tissue mimics.

Modern additive manufacturing has made significant advancements in multi-material fabrication techniques that allow for position-specific control of material deposition. With these advancements, design tools have fallen behind machine capabilities in specifying volumetric information. Traditionally, design and fabrication workflows have expressed multi-material objects as several single-material bodies. By storing only the information about the surfaces of the geometries, information about the volumetric composition of the solids is unrepresented. The intense interest in compliant mechanisms and meta-materials demands a new design method that can support architecting material distribution throughout an object. To address these needs, we present OpenVCAD, an open-source volumetric design compiler with multi-material capabilities. OpenVCAD provides a scriptable suite of geometric and material design methods that enable efficient representation of object with complex geometry and material distributions. OpenVCAD allows functional specification of multi-material volumes that are parameterized on spatial locations, yielding complex multi-material distributions that would be impossible to describe using alternative methods. This paper will present the OpenVCAD pipeline, compare it to related work, and demonstrate its use through the design and manufacturing of functionally graded multi-material components.

Multi-material material jetting additive manufacturing processes deposit micro-scale droplets of different model and support materials to build three-dimensional (3D) parts layer by layer. Recent efforts have demonstrated that liquids can act as support materials, which can be easily purged from micro/milli-channels, and as working fluids, which permanently remain in a structure, yet the lack of a detailed understanding of the print process and mechanism has limited widespread applications of liquid printing. In this study, an “all in one go” multi-material print process, herein termed liquid–solid co-printing in which non photo-curable and photo-curable liquid droplets are simultaneous deposited, is extensively characterized. The mechanism of liquid–solid co-printing is explained via experimental high speed imaging and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies. This work shows that a liquid’s surface tension can support jetted photopolymer micro-droplets which photo-polymerize on the liquid surface to form a solid layer of material. Design rules for liquid–solid co-printing of micro/milli-fluidic devices are presented as well as case studies of planar, 3D, and multi-material micro/mesofluidic structures such as mixers, droplet generators, highly branching structures, and an integrated one-way flap valve. We envision the liquid–solid co-printing process as a key new capability in additive manufacturing to enable simple and rapid fabrication of 3D, integrated print-in-place multi-material fluidic circuits and hydraulic structures with applications including micro/mesofluidic circuits, electrochemical transistors, lab-on-a-chip devices, and robotics.