Executive Summary : | The study explores the concept of negative indirect printing to fabricate the positive residual image of scaffolds using a new reverse printing technique called "Negative Embodied Sacrificial Template 3D" (NEST3D). The objective is to develop complex 3D geometrical structures for aircrafts and space vehicles using additive manufacturing and define negative patterns within a 3D printed object with greater structural freedom and resolution than the printed object itself. NEST3D printing is a novel technique that can be applied to a wide range of materials, including ceramics, thermoplastics, low-melt temperature metals, alloys, resins, and others. The experiment consists of model design and preparation in SOLIDWORKS and ABACUS, sacrificial template printing using a consumer-grade FDM printer, filling the template with secondary material, modeling the filling rate, performing mechanical testing, microstructural characterization using X-Ray Diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and differential scanning calirimetry Thermogravimetric analysis, and statistical analysis using five technical replicates. The significance of NEST3D printing lies in its simplicity, the use of a consumer-grade 3D printer and commonly available lab consumables, and its ability to produce near-net dense products with enhanced stiffness and high-resolution precision. This could contribute to the research democratization of additive manufacturing in mechanical, material, and aerospace engineering. |