Researchers from the USA have presented a new method for using artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing to develop materials with precisely defined properties. Subsequent 3D printing of the AI-generated structures should enable materials with tailored mechanical characteristics.
As Professor Xiaoyu Zheng of Virginia Tech explains, materials development has so far been based mainly on stress-strain curves. However, manufacturing tolerances often lead to deviations from the desired properties.
The researchers are now proposing a new way via AI and 3D printing: The user defines the desired mechanical properties of the material. An AI generates a 3D model from this, which is then printed. In trials, for example, the AI generated an individually optimized shoe sole for runners.
According to the scientists, linking AI and 3D printing enables unprecedented adaptability in material development. 3D printing thus becomes the production of materials with precisely specified characteristic values. The research could fundamentally change materials science, they said.
The findings were published in Nature Communications under the title “Rapid inverse design of metamaterials based on prescribed mechanical behavior through machine learning.“
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