lightweight tagged posts

Material may replace many metals as lightweight, flexible heat dissipators in cars, refrigerators, and electronics. Polymers are usually the go-to material for thermal insulation. Think of a silicone oven mitt, or a Styrofoam coffee cup, both manufactured from polymer materials that are excellent at trapping heat.

Now MIT engineers have flipped the picture of the standard polymer insulator, by fabricating thin polymer films that conduct heat – an...

A carbon fiber composite ink extrudes from a customized direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printer, eventually building part of a rocket nozzle.

Lawrence Livermore National Lab researchers have become the first to 3D print aerospace-grade carbon fiber composites, opening the door to greater control and optimization of the lightweight, yet stronger than steel material. The research represents a “significant advance” in the development of micro-extrusion 3D printing techniques for carbon fiber. “The mantra is ‘if you could make everything out of carbon fiber, you would’ – it’s potentially the ultimate material,” explained Jim Lewicki, principal investigator. “It’s been waiting in the wings for years because it’s so difficult to make in complex shapes...