Description
Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a 3D micro-fabrication tool wherein laser pulses are used to print thin sub-voxels of metal onto a substrate sequentially. This process provides high degree of spatial and temporal control to manufacture micron-sized actuators. The materials we are interested to LIFT belongs to a class of active materials called shape memory alloys (SMA’s). These alloys can be deformed at low temperatures and return to their original state when subjected to thermo-mechanical treatments. During this process, these materials generate a substantial amount of strain or force, making them suitable candidates for the fabrication of actuators.Particularly, Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) SMA’s are interesting owing to their biocompatibility, resistance to corrosion and can have a transition temperature (the temperature at which the material returns to its initial state) close to body temperature. Small variations in their chemical composition leads to substantial changes in the transition temperature.
We explore novel approaches to functionally grade NiTi shape memory alloys using LIFT. As conventional SMAs have a narrow range of control parameters which makes it difficult for actuator design. By functionally grading the SMAs the transformation window can be widened providing an increased range of stress and temperature thereby potentially opening the door for SMA based micro-actuator applications.
| Period | 22 Sept 2022 |
|---|---|
| Held at | Universitat de Barcelona, Spain |