Embedded 3D printing processes involve extruding ink within a support matrix that supports the ink throughout printing and curing. In once class of embedded 3D printing, which we refer to as “removable embedded 3D printing,” curable inks are printed, cured, then removed from the uncured support matrix. Removable embedded 3D printing is advantageous because low-viscosity inks can be patterned in freeform geometries which may not be feasible to create via casting and other printing processes. When printing solid-infill geometries, however, uncured support matrix becomes trapped within the prints, which may be undesirable. This study builds on previous work by formulating a support matrix for removable embedded 3D printing that cures when mixed with the printed silicone ink to solve the problem of trapped, uncured support matrix within solid-infill prints. Printed specimens are shown to have a nearly isotropic elastic modulus in directions perpendicular and parallel to the printed layers, and a decreased modulus and increased elongation at break compared to specimens cast from the ink. The rheological properties of the support matrix are reported. The capabilities of the printer and support matrix are demonstrated by printing a variety of geometries from four UV and addition-cure silicone inks. Shapes printed with these inks range by nearly two orders of magnitude in stiffness and have failure strains between approximately 50 and 250%, suggesting a wide range of potential applications for this printing process.

嵌入式 3D 打印工艺涉及在支撑基质内挤出墨水，该基质在整个打印和固化过程中支撑墨水。在一次嵌入式 3D 打印中，我们将其称为“可移动嵌入式 3D 打印”，可固化油墨被打印、固化，然后从未固化的支撑基质上移除。可移除的嵌入式 3D 打印具有优势，因为低粘度墨水可以形成自由几何形状的图案，而这可能无法通过铸造和其他打印工艺来创建。然而，当打印固体填充几何形状时，未固化的支撑基质被困在打印件内，这可能是不希望的。这项研究以之前的工作为基础，制定了一种用于可拆卸嵌入式 3D 打印的支撑基质，该支撑基质在与打印的有机硅墨水混合时会固化，以解决固体填充打印中被困、未固化的支撑基质的问题。与油墨浇铸的样品相比，印刷样品在垂直和平行于印刷层的方向上具有几乎各向同性的弹性模量，并且模量降低且断裂伸长率增加。报告了支撑基质的流变特性。通过使用四种 UV 和加成固化有机硅墨水打印各种几何形状，展示了打印机和支撑矩阵的功能。用这些墨水打印的形状的刚度变化了近两个数量级，并且失效应变在大约 50% 到 250% 之间，表明这种打印工艺具有广泛的潜在应用。