Library · Materials, chemistry & fabrication
What Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing got wrong, from 66 theses
Summary written by a model from the records below: Additive manufacturing techniques across polymer, metal, and composite systems encounter persistent limitations in surface finish, dimensional control, and mechanical strength. Researchers frequently encounter process failures involving material rheology, biocompatibility, hardware reliability, or unfavorable economic viability relative to conventional fabrication methods. These records come from graduate theses, 2021 to 2026, each labeled with its degree where the repository states it, and each links to its thesis. They were extracted by language models reading the full text, so treat each as a lead to read, not a verdict.
Plus 10 problems the authors left open, listed at the end.
Failure modes, by theses reporting them
Select a mode to jump to its records.
Surface roughness and resolution limits cause leakage and mold degradation
Layers and surface artifacts produced by extrusion and photopolymer processes create high surface roughness that prevents airtight sealing and causes fluid bypass in microfluidic assemblies. These textural imperfections also hinder clean demolding, inhibit silicone curing, and fail to satisfy precision standards for tactile or optical parts.
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected direct 3D printing of enclosed microchannels due to resin surface roughness, inability to bond glass/PDMS, and printer dimensional variability.
Novel engineering and characterization of sensing materials and fluidic devices for neuroscience · Imperial · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: 3D printing of dispersion modules was rejected due to persistent joint leakage when operated under pressure
Unlocking the Rare Earth Elements Potential of Allanite: A Comprehensive Study of Beneficiation and Leaching · Virginia Tech · Doctorate
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing due to insufficient resolution to prevent fluid leaking.
Novel engineering and characterization of sensing materials and fluidic devices for neuroscience · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
reducing extrusion line width applied to material extrusion 3D printing. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: deteriorated surface quality and required more toolpath passes to cover the target area
The influence of microscopic features on the self-cleaning ability of 3D printed fabric-like structures · Cranfield · PhD
Tried and failed
zig-zag toolpath infill strategy applied to material extrusion 3D printing. Reason: machine vibrations caused rough surface finish, structural defects, and gaps
Development and modeling of a fabrication process for high-strength biomimetic porous polymer for medical implants · UT Austin · PhD
Tried and failed
SLS 3D printed molds for PDMS casting applied to magnetic concentrator funnel fabrication. Reason: Cure inhibition of PDMS, high surface roughness, and dimensional variability of mold outlets.
Density-shift Immunomagnetic Separation for Pathogen Retrieval from Complex Media · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
fused deposition modeling 3D printing applied to microfluidic flow cells. Reason: high surface roughness and poor structural strength caused fluid leaks
Engineering and characterisation of optical nucleic acid sensors · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
consumer 3D printing applied to standard tactile braille production. Reason: insufficient print resolution and bed size constraints failed tactile spacing standards
Sensory Encounters in the Age of Computation · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
3D-printed and milled molds for soft lithography applied to microfluidic channel fabrication. Reason: Molds produced via stereolithography, FDM, and CNC milling failed to yield functional PDMS channels
Investigating the role of shear stress, von Willebrand factor, platelets and neutrophils in the initiation of venous thrombosis · Imperial · PhD
Lost to a baseline
High-frequency 3D printing of standard continuous-phase kinoforms suffered from insufficient z-axis printer resolution to resolve tiny thickness step differences at high ultrasound frequencies.
Exploiting the Interplay of Acoustic Waves and Fluid Motion for Particle Manipulation · Duke · Doctorate
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected SLA and FDM 3D printing for negative molds due to surface artifacts preventing plasma bonding of PDMS
In Vitro Remodeling of Extracellular Matrix Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury · Virginia Tech · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected Fused Filament Fabrication (Stratasys Fortus 400mc / Ultem 1010) due to poor layer surface finish hindering demolding
An Exploration of Rapid Tooling in Low-Cost Bead Foam Molding Applications · Virginia Tech · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected Scotch-tape rapid prototyping and 3D printed molds for master fabrication due to edge degradation and precision loss over repeated soft lithography cycles.
SPR STUDIES OF N-HETEROCYCLIC CARBENE ADSORPTION KINETICS AND THE APPLICATION OF FIBER FABRY-PÉROT CAVITIES IN CHEMISTRY · Queen's University · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected horizontal 3D printing with rectilinear toolpath for pulse shapers due to poor surface quality at support interfaces; replaced by vertical printing with concentric toolpaths.
Nonlinear Dynamics in Metamaterials under Elastic and Plastic Excitation and Spectral Submanifold Parameterization · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Single-part 3D printed fluidic manifold rejected in favor of a hybrid 3D-printed manifold with an etched Si capping layer due to 3D printing surface non-planarity causing fluid flow-bypass.
DENSE INTERCONNECTION AND ADVANCED COOLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR 2.5D AND 3D HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATED CIRCUITS · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected FDM 3D printing for smart packaging due to high surface roughness (~25x higher than SLA) interfering with post-print metallization
Additive manufacturing solutions for application-specific millimeter-wave wireless system design and packaging · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: SLM direct 3D printing in aluminum was abandoned for lost-wax casting in sterling silver due to surface roughness and inter-ring short circuits
Subwavelength resonators for performance enhancement in room-temperature solid-state masers · EPFL · PhD
Thermal shrinkage and tolerance errors cause part distortion and assembly failure
Differential shrinkage during post-print curing and thermal contraction leads to severe warping and curling in thin unsupported features. These dimensional variances and over-extrusion errors cause components to exceed specified tolerances, resulting in mechanical interference and failed assemblies.
Tried and failed
direct additive manufacturing without dimensional tolerance offsets applied to interlocking mechanical mold assemblies. Reason: extrusion width caused convex features to be oversized and concave slots undersized, preventing assembly
A MANUFACTURING PROCESS TO IMPLEMENT TRANSONIC COMPRESSOR ENDWALL CASING TREATMENTS · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's
Lost to a baseline
Physical manufacturing of Test Model 2 showed similar geometric accuracy between volume deviation-based and voxelisation-based slicing due to machine over-extrusion on thin top layers.
Investigation into adaptive slicing methodologies for additive manufacturing · Imperial · Master's
Tried and failed
photopolymer 3D printing of thin-walled geometries applied to rigid structural resin components. Outcome: unstable. Reason: thin features warped and distorted during UV post-print curing due to uneven shrinkage
ARRAYS OF MILLIMETER-SCALE RUBBER COMBUSTION ENGINES · Cornell · PhD
Tried and failed
direct additive manufacturing of angled thin elastomeric structures applied to flexible robotic struts. Outcome: unstable. Reason: unsupported thin elastomeric struts cannot maintain structural shape during printing
CONTROLLING STIFFNESS WITH TENDON - FLUID TENSEGRITY · Cornell · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: FDM printing and vacuum forming were rejected due to inability to achieve ≤0.4 mm thickness with sufficient structural integrity and reproducibility.
Comparative wind tunnel evaluation of a bio-inspired corrugated wing · Imperial · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected 0.5 mm thick fins with 1.5 mm spacing in 3D-printed bobbins due to 3D printing fabrication limits and required structural integrity.
Development of high power medium-frequency transformers · UT Austin · PhD
Tried and failed
selective laser sintering of thin flexures applied to compliant origami joint fabrication. Reason: laser resolution limits minimum feature thickness, resulting in excessively high joint stiffness
Extending human interaction capabilities with soft robotics · EPFL · PhD
Tried and failed
laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing applied to sub-millimeter thin wall fabrication. Reason: residual stress and thermal warpage caused recoater-part collisions below 500 µm feature sizes
Multi-Scale Materials Characterization and Analysis of In-Situ Process Monitoring Data towards enabling Multivariate Statistical Process Control in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Metal Ad · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
photopolymer 3D printing with post-print curing applied to high-aspect-ratio thin microstructures. Outcome: unstable. Reason: differential shrinkage during post-print UV curing causes mechanical warping of thin unsupported features
HIGH VOLTAGE PYROELECTRIC GENERATION, ELECTROSTATIC ACTUATORS, AND SENSING IN MICROSYSTEMS · Cornell · PhD
Tried and failed
direct ink writing onto flexible porous substrates applied to biomass composite paste printing. Reason: drying shrinkage caused severe warping, curling, and part breakage during substrate release
DeepGreen: Additive Manufacturing of Carbon-Negative Algae Biocomposites · Harvard · Doctorate
Tried and failed
liquid metal jet printing applied to precision metal casing rings. Reason: Severe dimensional variance, high surface roughness, and rapid nozzle degradation prevented tight-tolerance fabrication.
DUCTED FLOW CONTROL IN A TRANSONIC COMPRESSOR, METHODS AND ANALYSIS · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's
Tried and failed
3D printing precision fluid-dispensing mechanical parts applied to precision bubble generation mechanism. Reason: insufficient dimensional accuracy and tolerances of 3D-printed components caused mechanism failure
Robots Who Live for Themselves: Exploring Ludic HRI Through Character-Driven Robot Design · Cornell · PhD
Tried and failed
direct metal laser melting fabrication applied to precision metal casing component. Reason: as-built outer dimensions exceeded specified tolerances, preventing physical assembly
DUCTED FLOW CONTROL IN A TRANSONIC COMPRESSOR, METHODS AND ANALYSIS · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's
Lost to a baseline
DLP 3D-printed cylinders exhibited significantly lower volume (74.6 ± 5.4 mm³) compared to molded/lasercut cylinders (81.2 ± 2.6 mm³) and extrusion-printed cylinders (87.5 ± 3.7 mm³) relative to nominal design.
3D Printed Biodegradable And Shape Memory Polymer Poly(Glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) For Soft Tissue Reconstruction · Georgia Tech · PhD
Anisotropy and weak interlayer bonding lead to delamination and premature fracture
Suboptimal bonding across printed layers produces directional anisotropy that triggers brittle failure under out-of-plane and bending loads. Printed specimens repeatedly demonstrate severe delamination, poor wear resistance, and reduced strain at break when compared to molded or subtractive baselines.
Tried and failed
fused deposition modeling 3D printing applied to mechanical metamaterial unit cells. Reason: interlaminar anisotropy caused brittle fracture between printed layers at flexure intersections under out-of-plane loading
Functional mechanical metamaterials - development of programmable mechanical structures · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
FDM 3D printing of waveguide antenna structures applied to horn antennas. Reason: Structural delamination, edge sagging, and mechanical joint separation between the waveguide and flare.
The development of a drone radar system · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
material extrusion 3D printing applied to polyethylene polymer blends. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: 3D printed specimens showed higher wear factors and lower wear resistance than injection molded equivalents
Influence of Texture on Wear Behavior of 3D Printed HDPE/UHMWPE Bioimplant Material · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
FDM 3D printing and vacuum forming applied to ultra-thin corrugated aerodynamic structures. Reason: exceeded minimum thickness limits resulting in frequent defects and poor structural integrity
Comparative wind tunnel evaluation of a bio-inspired corrugated wing · Imperial · Master's
Tried and failed
fused deposition modeling at standard processing temperature applied to immiscible biopolymer blend filaments. Reason: severe delamination, warpage, and poor bed adhesion during horizontal printing
Filament fabrication and fdm 3D printing of pla/biopbs-based composite materials for advanced sustainable manufacturing applications · Cranfield · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected FDM printing for 3D anisotropic unit cells because anisotropic layer bonding caused brittle fracture in one of the three principal axes
Functional mechanical metamaterials - development of programmable mechanical structures · Imperial · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected direct mSLA printing of PU/PEMA hinges for static testing due to rapid fatigue and brittle fracture at surface defects
Lost to a baseline
Photocured 3D printed APGD exhibited lower strain at break (41.5 ± 8.3% for DLP, 45.0 ± 5.2% for extrusion) compared to molded/lasercut baseline samples (63.2 ± 23.7%).
3D Printed Biodegradable And Shape Memory Polymer Poly(Glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) For Soft Tissue Reconstruction · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected SLA 3D printing resins (Formlabs Clear, Tough 2000, Rigid 10K, Rigid 4000) for cryogenic low TRo testing due to thermal stress cracking/brittle failure under bending moments, adopting SLS Nylon 12 instead.
High speed film cooling parameters and optimization · UT Austin · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Extrusion 3D printed APGD exhibited lower shape fixity ratio (77.4 ± 4.7%) compared to molded/lasercut baseline samples (92.4 ± 6.0%).
3D Printed Biodegradable And Shape Memory Polymer Poly(Glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) For Soft Tissue Reconstruction · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
embedded 3D printing in gel matrices applied to sintered composite auxetic structures. Reason: pervasive cracking throughout the sintered parts during the post-printing sintering process
Direct ink writing of ceramic composites · Imperial · PhD
Chemical toxicity and uncured resin entrapment compromise biological and microfluidic applications
Photocurable resins frequently release toxic leachates that inhibit cell growth and exhibit material porosity that absorbs cell culture media. Uncured resin becomes trapped in narrow internal microcavities, while peeling forces and inappropriate mechanical rigidity restrict successful tissue and phantom construction.
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected fuse-deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing for PEEK device due to culture medium absorption through high material porosity, selecting CNC machining instead
The influence of temporal interference stimulation on neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
stereolithography 3D printing of negative microcavity features applied to micropatterned mold fabrication. Reason: uncured liquid resin remained trapped and clogged within microscale negative hole features during printing
Programming Complex Alignment in Engineered Cardiac Tissue · Harvard · PhD
Tried and failed
photopolymer 3D printing for microfluidic cell culture applied to microbial growth chambers. Reason: resin devices released toxic leachates that inhibited cell growth
Modeling Algal Growth Under Controlled Microenvironment Using a Microfluidic Platform · Cornell · PhD
Tried and failed
stereolithography printing with low-modulus elastomeric resin applied to cellular lattice structures. Reason: vat adhesion peel forces during separation tore delicate low-stiffness layers apart during printing
Development and mechanical characterisation of additively manufactured lattice structures · Imperial · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected stereolithography 3D printing due to restriction to photo-curable resins which limits scalability to common mass-produced substrates.
Design automation and rapid prototyping of multi-component droplet microfluidic platforms · Boston University · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Solvent-based extrusion and SLA stereolithography for PCL bioscaffolds were rejected due to altered mechanical rigidity, bridging limits, and potential cytotoxicity/crosslinker biocompatibility concerns.
Additive Manufacture of Parametrically Modulated Porous Scaffold Architectures for Medical Device Applications · University College Dublin · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected Induracast and Indurasupport / Indurafill printing materials due to high cytotoxicity to cells.
Fabrication of Collagen Scaffolds with Computer Designed Internal Microarchitecture for Blood Vessel Engineering Using Inverse 3D Printing · York University · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing in favor of FDM due to toxicity and leaching of unreacted photoinitiators/resins.
A Multifaceted Approach to Preserve Effective Antibiotics Utilizing Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing, Antimicrobial Coatings or Glycomimetic Adjuvants · Tübingen · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Solely extrusion-printed scaffolds rejected for endothelialization due to large pore sizes (>100 µm), excessive rigidity, and lack of cell adhesion across strands.
Entwicklung geeigneter Strategien für den 3D-Druck von Scaffolds für das Tissue Engineering vaskulärer Strukturen · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected coupled bioprinting (simultaneous cell and sacrificial material deposition) due to extended hypoxia and fabrication stress accumulation in large tissues
Endothelial Track Patterning for Directing Vascularization of Engineered Tissues · University of Washington · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected direct-write extrusion (DIW) printing for complex living objects due to limitations in geometrical complexity and connectivity relative to vat photopolymerization.
3D Printed Engineered Living Materials with Genetically Programmed Mechanical Properties and Bioproduction Performance for the Design of Functional Objects and Therapeutic Delivery Platforms · University of Washington · PhD
High operational expenses and slow production speeds favor conventional fabrication
Additive manufacturing methods require extensive print times and substantial equipment expenses that exceed the costs of traditional machining and molding once tooling is amortized. Specialized binders and nanomaterial additives also introduce excessive material costs and higher embodied carbon footprints compared to conventional alternatives.
Tried and failed
nanocellulose reinforcement addition applied to cementitious 3D printing mixtures. Outcome: infeasible cost. Reason: High nanomaterial cost and processing footprint drastically increased mixture expenses and global warming potential.
Towards Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Residential Construction 3D Printing · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
bio-filler composites with polymer binders applied to construction 3D printing materials. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: Polymeric binders had higher embodied carbon per kilogram than traditional Portland cement.
Towards Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Residential Construction 3D Printing · Georgia Tech · PhD
Lost to a baseline
High-volume production economics heavily favor conventional injection molding, casting, and stamping over 3D printing due to dramatically lower per-part costs once tooling is amortized
What limits the greater adoption of 3D printing in Canada? Identifying the Barriers to the Adoption of 3D printing in Canada · York University · Master's
Lost to a baseline
PBF upright printing time (48h/60h total) and cost (1500 €) exceeded conventional machining time (32h/56h total) and cost (1000 €)
Industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing ¿ A Holistic approach: From design to production · Politecnico di Torino · PhD
Lost to a baseline
PBF total production time (80h) and printing cost (1600 €) for steering mount exceeded conventional machining/welding time (72h/100h) and cost (1000 €)
Industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing ¿ A Holistic approach: From design to production · Politecnico di Torino · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Handcrafted two-part fiberglass molds for shaped precast beams cost significantly less per unit ($8,650 for up to 200 reuses) than 3D printing mass-customized clay bovedillas ($18,900 in labor).
Programmable Mud: 3D Printing earth to achieve low-carbon, low-cost construction automation · MIT · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Additive manufacturing (3D printing) was rejected in favor of CNC subtractive milling of foam board due to cost-effectiveness, durability, and speed.
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected 3D printing in favor of laser cutting for mechanical fabrication due to reproducibility, speed, and material availability.
At Least, Be Human: Humanizing the Robot as a Medium for Communication · Cornell · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected CNC milling and metal 3D printing for prototype fin manufacturing due to time and cost constraints, selecting SLA 3D printing instead
Design and Development of Stability and Control Systems for Small, Deployable Aircraft · MIT · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Additively manufactured microfeatures via inkjet printing or FDM 3D printing, rejected for general sensor fabrication in favor of the polymer abrading technique due to high hardware complexity, cost, and specialized equipment requirements.
Engineered Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Sensors: Process, Structure, Properties, and Performance Under Multimodal Sensing Conditions and Their Application Towards Wearable Postural-Tactile Measurement · University of Nevada, Reno · PhD
Rheological instabilities and nozzle clogs impede uniform material deposition
Inks and hydrogels with inadequate viscosity experience spreading, structural slumping, and pore occlusion during extrusion. Conversely, high-viscosity formulations cause nozzle clogging, unintended oozing during travel moves, and thermal re-melting of adjacent printed features.
Tried and failed
semi-solid extrusion 3D printing applied to low-concentration single-component biopolymer hydrogels. Outcome: unstable. Reason: insufficient viscosity and low yield stress caused spreading and loss of shape fidelity post-deposition
Semi-solid extrusion-based 3D printing of biopolymer hydrogels and their applications in food · Iowa State · Master's
Tried and failed
fused deposition modelling extrusion of neat biopolymer applied to polybutylene succinate 3D printing filament. Outcome: unstable. Reason: filament extrusion instability and poor dimensional accuracy during deposition
Filament fabrication and fdm 3D printing of pla/biopbs-based composite materials for advanced sustainable manufacturing applications · Cranfield · PhD
Tried and failed
extrusion 3D printing of hydrogel scaffolds applied to porous GelMA tissue engineering constructs. Outcome: unstable. Reason: low concentration collapsed during printing, whereas higher concentration merged and occluded designed micro-pores
Bioengineered scaffolds as a tool to decode the complexity of cancer cell interactions in vivo · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
Direct extrusion via sub-millimeter nozzle diameters applied to High-viscosity photocurable polymers. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Narrow nozzles caused clogging and pressure-induced distortion, while wider nozzles prevented fine resolution
Design of a 3D UV-Silicone Printing Machine for Complex Geometry Printing · Texas Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
single-pass inkjet printing of thick dielectric layers applied to thick polymer film deposition. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Excessive wet volume led to bulging and non-uniform convex coffee-ring thickness profiles.
Additive manufacturing solutions for application-specific millimeter-wave wireless system design and packaging · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
direct ink writing extrusion 3D printing applied to photocurable viscous prepolymer resins. Outcome: unstable. Reason: slicer and extrusion control limitations caused unwanted material oozing and over-deposition during travel moves
3D Printed Biodegradable And Shape Memory Polymer Poly(Glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) For Soft Tissue Reconstruction · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
high speed material extrusion on tacky substrate applied to viscous ink additive manufacturing. Outcome: unstable. Reason: viscoelastic dragging and poor interfacial adhesion caused severe filament shortening during deposition
Multimaterial 3D/4D Printing by Integrating Digital Light Processing and Direct Ink Writing · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
direct-write extrusion of molten microstructures applied to high-density micro-needle arrays. Reason: thermal dissipation and nozzle clearance caused re-melting of adjacent features above critical aspect ratios
MOLTEN-BASED 3-D DIRECTWRITE FABRICATION OF MICRO STRUCTURES · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Direct 3D printing of hydrogels abandoned in favor of casting resin inside 3D-printed and degassed silicone (Mold Max 10T) moulds due to printing instability and incomplete curing.
Development of a novel tissue expander for non-keratinised epithelial tissue · Nottingham · PhD
Hardware failures and mechanical wear impair toolhead and printing operations
Contact with abrasive metal filaments causes rapid nozzle wear that widens extrusion orifices and degrades dimensional output over time. Multi-axis articulating toolheads and larger printing setups also suffer from mechanical interference, wire entanglement, and printer hardware breakdowns.
Tried and failed
toolhead articulation on multi-axis CNC machines applied to multi-axis additive manufacturing. Reason: wire entanglement, lack of gravity compliance, and incompatibility with standard 3D printing firmware
Multi-axis and multi-material additive manufacturing of electrical traces · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
brass and steel extrusion nozzles applied to metal filament additive manufacturing. Reason: abrasive wear increased nozzle exit diameter during heated metal contact
Hybrid extrusion and multidirectional forging additive manufacturing technique · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
laser powder bed fusion metal additive manufacturing applied to aerodynamic rake probes. Reason: 3D printer hardware failure prevented fabrication of the test article
ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED INSTRUMENTATION FOR ENHANCED FLOWFIELD MEASUREMENT IN A TRANSONIC AXIAL COMPRESSOR · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected laser-based additive manufacturing due to higher maintenance compared to solid wire-feed extrusion and electron beam fabrication
In Space Manufacturing: A Novel Approach for 3D Printing On-Orbit · Carleton University · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) for prototype fabrication due to lack of large-scale printer and manual printing instability
Building with Biomaterials · Dalhousie · Master's
Left open by the authors
Problems the authors named and did not get to.
Left open
Redesign the additive manufacturing deposition toolhead with a higher-power extrusion heater to achieve faster extrusion rates. Blocker: Requires specialized additive manufacturing hardware, physical tooling, and laboratory testing facilities
Hybrid extrusion and multidirectional forging additive manufacturing technique · Imperial · PhD
Left open
Investigate alternative materials and innovative manufacturing techniques to evaluate mechanical behavior and viability in extrusion additive manufacturing. Blocker: Requires additive manufacturing physical hardware and mechanical testing laboratory equipment
Metodología para la optimización de parámetros geométricos en el proceso de fabricación aditiva basada en extrusión · University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · PhD
Left open
Compare boiling curves between machined Al 6061 and 3D-printed SLM surfaces to investigate the negative boiling curve slope. Blocker: Requires selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printing, machining of Al 6061, and physical thermal boiling experiment apparatus.
Characterization of Heat Exchange for Additively Manufactured Components · York University · PhD
Left open
Fabricate synthetic trees with 3D-branching xylem pathways using additive manufacturing to optimize hydraulic properties and cavitation mitigation. Blocker: Requires physical additive manufacturing/3D printing fabrication equipment and wet-lab experimental testing of hydraulic and cavitation properties.
Scalable Synthetic Trees for Transpiration-Powered Hydraulic Systems · Virginia Tech · Doctorate
Left open
Investigate polypropylene composites with new combinations of conductive fillers such as graphene nanoplatelets for additive manufacturing. Blocker: Requires materials synthesis, compounding equipment, twin-screw/single-screw extruders, and FDM 3D printing lab facilities.
Additive Manufacturing of Polypropylene Composites with Enhanced Mechanical and Electrical Properties · Politecnico di Torino · PhD
Left open
Perform mechanical shear testing on multi-material 3D printed specimens using ASTM D5379, ASTM D3528, or Iosipescu standards to reduce out-of-plane bending. Blocker: Requires multi-material 3D printing equipment (FFF/DLP) and physical mechanical shear testing apparatus (tensile/shear load frames)
Analysis of the Interface Properties of Multi-material 3D Printed Structures · York University · Master's
Left open
Fabricate and test 3D-printed tendon systems using lower elastic moduli materials under external deformations and channel curvatures exceeding 30 degrees. Blocker: Requires a physical fabrication setup (multi-material 3D printing) and experimental testing apparatus for robotic tendon channels.
CONTROLLING STIFFNESS WITH TENDON - FLUID TENSEGRITY · Cornell · PhD
Left open
Investigate crack propagation in 3D-printed composite structures subjected to dynamic thermo-mechanical loads. Blocker: Requires additive manufacturing fabrication, material characterization, and dynamic thermo-mechanical physical testing equipment.
Dynamic response of 3d-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs) damaged structure under thermo-mechanical loads. · Cranfield · PhD
Left open
Perform high cycle and low cycle fatigue testing and crack propagation analysis on 3D printed gradient 316L stainless steel specimens. Blocker: Requires selective laser melting 3D printing equipment and physical mechanical/fatigue testing apparatus
3-D Printing, Characterizing and Evaluating the Mechanical Properties of 316L Stainless Steel Materials with Gradient Microstructure · Virginia Tech · Master's
Left open
Evaluate dynamic response of specimens fabricated with locally varying 3D printing parameters across individual parts. Blocker: Requires 3D printing hardware and physical dynamic mechanical testing equipment to fabricate and evaluate specimens.
Dynamic response of 3d-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs) damaged structure under thermo-mechanical loads. · Cranfield · PhD
Who has worked on this
Authors of the public theses cited on this page, most-cited first.
- Ryan Akman · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2022
3D Printed Biodegradable And Shape Memory Polymer Poly(Glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) For Soft Tissue Reconstruction - Patawee Jintana · Imperial · PhD · 2025
Hybrid extrusion and multidirectional forging additive manufacturing technique - Husnain Islam · Imperial · Master's · 2025
Comparative wind tunnel evaluation of a bio-inspired corrugated wing - Katherine Bradford · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2024
Towards Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Residential Construction 3D Printing - Melissa Hexter · Imperial · PhD · 2023
Novel engineering and characterization of sensing materials and fluidic devices for neuroscience - Norman J. Spector · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's · 2023
DUCTED FLOW CONTROL IN A TRANSONIC COMPRESSOR, METHODS AND ANALYSIS - Samuel I. C. Daminabo · Cranfield · PhD · 2023
Filament fabrication and fdm 3D printing of pla/biopbs-based composite materials for advanced sustainable manufacturing applications - IOANNIS STAVRIDIS · Politecnico di Torino · PhD · 2023
Industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing ¿ A Holistic approach: From design to production - Autumn Pratt · Cornell · PhD · 2022
CONTROLLING STIFFNESS WITH TENDON - FLUID TENSEGRITY - Mohammad Usman Waheed · Imperial · PhD · 2021
Functional mechanical metamaterials - development of programmable mechanical structures - Bijan Knight Tehrani · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2021
Additive manufacturing solutions for application-specific millimeter-wave wireless system design and packaging - Feiyang He · Cranfield · PhD · 2021
Dynamic response of 3d-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs) damaged structure under thermo-mechanical loads.
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