Researchers from the US’ Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed the world’s first 3D print aerospace-grade carbon fibre composites.

The new development could lead to the mass production of lightweight and stronger-than-steel material for the aerospace, defence and automotive industries.

Researchers say it could also help in the advancement of micro-extrusion 3D printing techniques for carbon fibre.

The research was led by LLNL scientist and principal investigator Jim Lewicki, and saw the team print several complex 3D structures through a modified direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing process.

Lewicki said: “The mantra is ‘if you could make everything out of carbon fibre, you would’: it’s potentially the ultimate material.

“It’s been waiting in the wings for years because it’s so difficult to make in complex shapes, but with 3D printing you could potentially make anything out of carbon fibre.”

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LLNL’s team have also developed and patented a new chemistry that can cure the carbon fibre material in a matter of seconds instead of hours. They have also created accurate models of the flow of carbon fibre filaments using computational processes.

“The mantra is ‘if you could make everything out of carbon fibre, you would’: it’s potentially the ultimate material.”

LLNL fluid analyst Yuliya Kanarska said: “We developed a numerical code to simulate a non-Newtonian liquid polymer resin with a dispersion of carbon fibres.

“With this code, we can simulate evolution of the fibre orientations in 3D under different printing conditions. We were able to find the optimal fibre length and optimal performance, but it’s still a work in progress.

“Ongoing efforts are related to achieving even better alignment of the fibres by applying magnetic forces to stabilise them.”

The researchers are currently in talks with commercial, aerospace and defence partners to move forward on future development of the newly developed technology.

Image: A carbon fibre composite ink extrudes from a customised direct ink writing 3D printer, eventually building part of a rocket nozzle. Photo: courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.