Acoustoplastic metal direct-write: Towards solid aluminum 3D printing in ambient conditions

In this work the process of Acoustoplastic Metal Direct-write (AMD) is introduced for the first time. Millimeter-scale 3D aluminum articles were printed to demonstrate the process feasibility. Evidence of process-induced inter-layer and intra-layer mass transport resulting in metallurgical bonding across voxels was obtained. During voxel formation, a process temperature rise of 5° Celsius from a process ambient temperature of 25° Celsius was recorded. In addition, acoustic energy-induced microstructural changes during process were observed in the material. The work presented here not only demonstrates the feasibility of a new non-melt fusion room temperature metal 3D printing approach—capable of producing metals with more than 99 percent density—but also presents both observational study and an initial theoretical basis upon which a new athermal microstructural transformation process may be understood