3D Printed Snakeskin Shows Potential for Industrial Use in Mechanical Traction https://ift.tt/2JSEs6Q In ‘Exploring Convergence of Snake-Skin-Inspired Texture Designs and Additive Manufacturing for Mechanical Traction,’ US researchers outline their findings in a study where they made an interesting choice for experimenting with 3D printing materials. Studying snake-skin scales from the Python regius species, the authors translated the hexagonal scale patterns to laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) manufacturing technique on 420 stainless steel. As the researchers point out, nature offers a ‘vast database of robust designs’ for scientists to work from in creating many different forms and structures. Taking inspiration from evolution, today we can glean details from plants and animals that have survived due to strength and resilience.
Translating such textures to steel is an ambitious endeavor, but the team persevered in studying the movement of larger snakes and what ultimately becomes a ‘walking’ pattern as their skin ‘manages friction’ for high performance in mechanical traction.
For those who are not that familiar with snakes, it may be surprising to find out that every one of them has a different ‘profile’ and arrangement of patterns, leaving the researchers to examine many different shapes, patterns, distributions, and positioning of fibrils. The researchers also discovered that the microscale directional textures they were able to produce with L-PBF printing exhibited an ‘inherent’ likeness to the snakeskin—offering promise regarding applications like mechanical systems—and especially those requiring mechanical traction. The design was comprised of five hexagons located centrally and then four smaller hexagons on each side. For this study, the team was interested in assessing the viability of 3D printing for making the designs, comparing surface roughness and the quality of frictional performance. No post-processing was included for the 3D prints, meaning that the micro-texture was created during the movement of fabrication. The research team found this discovery to be ‘noteworthy and distinguishing’ since such surface roughness is desirable.
This certainly is not the first time researchers have taken a cue from nature in regards to 3D printing, with many different designs inspiring everything from fashion to electrically conductive parts to materials like liquid polymers. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com. [Source / Images: ‘ Exploring Convergence of Snake-Skin-Inspired Texture Designs and Additive Manufacturing for Mechanical Traction’] Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com July 25, 2019 at 11:27PM
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