3D Printed Carbon Fiber Meta-Skins Improve Impact Mitigation in Foam-Core Composites
Researchers at San Diego State University have used automated tow placement to 3D‑print pseudo‑woven continuous carbon‑fiber skins, called meta‑skins, for foam‑core composites. In low‑velocity drop‑tower tests (4.43 m/s), a monocoque configuration with a single skin absorbed nearly 100 % of the impact energy and outperformed conventional cross‑ply laminates by about 15 %. At moderate velocities (15 m/s) in a shock‑tube test, a sandwich configuration with two skins reduced peak force by roughly 26 % compared with the monocoque, thanks to better stress‑wave confinement. The study demonstrates that impact mitigation can be tuned by fiber architecture and structural layout, highlighting the potential of additively manufactured continuous‑fiber composites for load‑bearing applications.
Weaving Flexibility Into Nitinol: IMDEA–UPM Advances 3D Printed Superelastic Metamaterials
Researchers at IMDEA Materials and the Technical University of Madrid have created interwoven, fabric‑like Nitinol structures using laser powder bed fusion, delivering superelastic metamaterials with unprecedented flexibility. By shifting focus from alloy composition to algorithmically designed geometries—such as tubular lattices...
Plastometrex Launches MultiScale Capability for Thin-Wall and High-Resolution Mechanical Property Mapping
Plastometrex has added a MultiScale capability to its PLX‑Benchtop system, enabling high‑resolution mechanical property mapping on parts as thin as 0.75 mm. The upgrade uses 1.5 mm indent spacing and interchangeable 250‑µm, 500‑µm, and 1000‑µm indenters to generate full stress‑strain curves in...