This presentation discusses the benefits of utilizing automation and AI to improve material development in both R&D and production. As systems become more connected and Industry 4.0 becomes prevalent in all aspects of manufacturing it is important to begin to look at how these new technologies can be implemented in polymer creation. We will define what automation, Industry 4.0, and AI are, followed by how these aspects are being implemented today and currently being worked on across the industry. Additionally, we’ll answer how these new technologies can be implemented for material development.
 
Khaled Boqaileh | CEO, LabsCubed Inc.

The use of 3D printing to create prototypes and devices from elastomeric and polymeric materials has appended the design functionality for new materials including uses in biomedical devices enabling rapid development. The process ability and functionality of rubbers and elastomers make it a challenge to employ 3D printing methods for additive manufacturing. The transition to a final phase or cross-linked structure results in new properties in combination with the processing method. This is more evident with the choices of 3D printing methodologies (FDM, SLA, SLS, VSP) which can make use of blended or formulated compositions. We have demonstrated the 3D printing of biomedical grade thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), silicones, and rubberized epoxies. However, 4D printing allows the design of new materials and applications based on integrating the chemistry of conversion with the printing mode. This presentation demonstrates the fabrication of concept objects and elastomeric actuators based on the use of biomedical grade TPU melts and extruded viscous solutions.
 
Rigoberto Advincula | Professor, Case Western University

Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is a high viscosity, addition-curing material used in a variety of applications, from healthcare to automotive, due to beneficial properties such as low-temperature flexibility, high elasticity, mechanical performance, and bio-compatibility. LSR is traditionally processed via injection molding, which requires expensive tooling for each new model or part. In order to bypass this limitation and quickly iterate designs, WACKER developed the first industrial 3D print process for silicones and provides its 3D print services under the ACEO® brand using true LSR without any plasticizers. ACEO® offers materials in varying color and hardness in the Shore A range, allowing the design of multi-functional and even multi-material parts with both hard and soft components to deliver complex engineering designs.
 
Sarah Burke | Technical Specialist, Wacker Chemical Corporation

Inert ToughRubber (ITR) is a family of silicone based, 3D printing elastomers from Adaptive3D designed for high-throughput additive manufacturing. Utilizing the excellent surface finish and resolution of DLP and possessing a broad range of hardness’ (20 to 80 Shore A), high elongation (>400%), and excellent Tear Strength (> 20 kN/m), ITR can be photopatterned on an array of existing DLP printers at voxel sizes of less than 100 microns. ITR is a materials solution for applications requiring chemical resistance, strain tolerance and high toughness. Adaptive 3D is an emerging high-growth company providing photopolymer resins to the growing additive manufacturing market in several key segments: consumer, medical, transportation, industrial/electronic and oil and gas.
 
Walter Voit | CEO and Founder, Adaptive3D Technologies

The continual development of new functional polymers with improved properties and of new products for different application areas is an important area for most chemical companies. As manufacturers embrace digitalization and Industry 4.0, applying advanced analytics to collected experimental data is a key initiative to reduce experimentation and innovate faster. There are basically 3 general degrees of freedom in developing a new product: (i) the choice of raw materials or ingredients (eg. Specific rubbers, oils, polyolefins, etc.), (ii) the ratios in which to combine thee materials (formulation or recipe), and (iii) the process conditions under which to process them. These three degrees of freedom are highly interactive, making it important to consider all of them simultaneously. In this presentation we discuss multivariate latent variable analysis methods for extracting information from the development databases, multivariate DOE approaches for optimally augmenting the databases, and optimization methods for rapidly formulating products that meet all the desired quality specifications at minimum cost. Some applications of using this approach include the development of functional polymers for medical devices and for the core materials used in the very popular Srixon golf balls, the development of new food formulations, polyolefin development, and the reformulation of silicone antifoams.
 
Marlene Cardin | Director of Projects, ProSensus