3D printing of composite reinforcements
Microwave system prints reinforcements made of carbon fiber composite
Exhibitors
Description
Development Status
Under development
Market Launch
05 2025
Degree of Documentation
Well documented
Market Orientation
Medium-size market
Concrete has excellent compressive strength, but only very limited tensile strength. For concrete structures such as foundations, beams, columns and ceilings, steel reinforcing bars are therefore usually installed to absorb the tensile forces that occur. The production of such reinforced concrete components is energy-intensive and harmful to the climate. In addition, the service life of reinforced concrete structures is limited due to their susceptibility to corrosion. One alternative is to use bars and mesh made of carbon fiber composite material. Such composite reinforcements do not corrode and the specific tensile strength is higher than that of steel. However, the fibers and their processing are currently cost-intensive.
Researchers at KIT have developed an alternative 3D printing process based on electromagnetic heating that processes continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) at high speed. In order for the plastic material to pass through the injector, it must be soft enough and malleable due to heat. This is achieved with a microwave applicator as the print head, which enables uniform and rapid heating even with large filament diameters. In contrast to conventional heating, microwaves generate the heat directly in the material. The poor thermal conductivity of plastic, which limits the printing speed in conventional filament 3D printers, is then irrelevant. Microwave printing technology enables the flexible production of mechanically resilient carbon fiber composite structures as reinforcement. With a printing speed up to ten times faster than conventional technologies, the additive process offers great potential for many industrial applications.
You can get an overview of this technology at KIT stand. More details can be exchanged individually with the responsible scientific employees of KIT after the industry fair.
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
- Kaiserstr. 12
- 76131 Karlsruhe
- Germany
Contact
- Phone: +49 721608 -0
- Fax: +49 721608 44290
Contact
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
- Kaiserstr. 12
- 76131 Karlsruhe
- Germany
Locations
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