Software unlocks 3D printing gradients for advanced engineering
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A graded lattice with soft and rigid parts. OpenVCAD can apply specific mechanical properties to certain parts of lattice structures, which are often used for impact-absorbing capabilities, to achieve more complicated designs. Credit: University of Colorado Boulder Engineers will have an easier time 3D printing objects out of multiple different materials with the release of an open-source tool, OpenVCAD, that can convert complex gradient designs into printer ready code for advanced engineering applications. Designing and 3D printing gradients, where 2 materials gradually blend from one to another, is extremely difficult. Conventional computer-aided design (CAD) software tends to assume that the same material exists within the boundaries of the different areas within a 3D design and struggle to produce objects with truly continuous gradients. A scan‑to‑print medical model, which surgeons could use to plan surgeries, printed using OpenVCAD. Credit: University of Colorado Boulder “Unlike...