Researchers invent technology to remedy 3D-printing’s ‘weak spot’

Plastics are a popular 3-D printing material, but printed parts are mechanically weak—a flaw caused by the imperfect bonding between the individual printed layers that make up the 3-D part. Now, researchers at Texas A&M University, in collaboration with scientists in the company Essentium, Inc. have developed a technology that overcomes this flaw. By integrating plasma science and carbon nanotube technology into standard 3-D printing, the researchers welded adjacent printed layers more effectively, increasing the overall reliability of the final part.