SECONDMENTS

Despite being one of the most performing materials in terms of optical transparency, mechanical or chemical resistance, glass is difficult to shape, requiring high temperatures or hazardous processes. Because of that, glass parts cannot be easily manufactured through 3D printing, unlike polymers or metals.

In 2019-2020, a phosphate glass printing process via Fused Deposition Modeling was developed in Université de Bordeaux. This was reported in an article published earlier this year (R. Zaki et al, Materials and Design, 194 , 2020, 108957).

The next objective is to create functionalized optical parts with this process, by fiber drawing printed parts. Indeed, additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of parts with geometries that would be difficult to obtain with « traditional » methods.

Meanwhile, solutions for phosphate 3D-printing at mid/low temperatures are being studied. Hydrated phosphates are optically transparent materials that are synthetized at 300°C, which enables their functionalization by temperature-sensitive materials at mid-range temperatures. Multimaterial fibers were also drawn by combining hydrated phosphates with polyether sulfone, thanks to their compatible processing temperatures.

Materials synthesis and functionalization / Thermal and structural properties of the developed materials / Optimization of synthesis process and glass compositions

In progress…