3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Researchers Develop Highly Stretchable Hydrogel For 3D Printing
qidi

Researchers Develop Highly Stretchable Hydrogel For 3D Printing

August 14, 2018

From biomedicine to soft robots discoveries, hydrogels have opened a whole new world for 3D printing applications. They’ve been around for a while, providing crucial research into cell regeneration and tissue growth and so much more. Now, a new research project between Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) is looking to add a high flexibility, stretchable hydrogel to the mix. Their findings may provide a far more resilient and malleable version of hydrogels, allowing for higher capabilities in many different fields.

Polymer Blends Display Enhanced Adhesion in FFF/FDM
Related Story
New Polymer Blends Display Enhanced Interlayer Bonding for FFF/FDM 3D Prints

Hydrogels consist of hydrophilic networks of polymeric chains that, as the name suggests, can retain water. This gives them all sorts of desirable properties and the ability to contain structures like biological scaffolds within themselves. Basically, their usefulness cannot be overstated and they form the backbone of a lot of modern findings. The problem is that modern hydrogels have low geometric complexity and relatively low fabrication resolution. As a result, this hampers their applicability in various fields of research.

With the invention of these far more stretchable hydrogels, researchers can circumvent these problems. The higher resolution and malleability allows for increased applications in soft robotics, transparent touch panels and flexible electronics. The gels also show excellent biocompatibility, according to the researchers, and can serve as a great source of printing applications.

Applying Stretchable Hydrogels

Researchers Develop Highly Stretchable Hydrogel For 3D Printing

The hydrogels the researchers developed are UV-curable, making them suitable for some very complex structures. UV-curable, flexible hydrogels could also have applications in vascular networks, porous scaffolds, meniscus substitutes and a lot more. The printed hydrogel sample can stretch by up to 1,300 percent. Additionally, the compatibility of these hydrogels with DLP-based 3D printing technology allows for the fabrication of hydrogel 3D structures with resolutions up to 7 micrometers.

The stretchable hydrogel can even form strong interfacial bonding with commercial 3D printing elastomers allowing for the formation of hybrid structures such as flexible electronics boards. Clearly, there are tons of applications and the research is only just scratching the surface of this new finding.

If you’re interested in the research, you can read it here. It presents some very interesting results and promises future concepts that may just alter the way we think about flexible manufacturing.

Featured image courtesy of Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI).

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Turkish Companies Test 3D Printed Component for Armored Vehicles

MetalWorm and Nurol Makina, both based in Ankara, Turkey, have completed testing of an armored vehicle component manufactured using Directed Energy Deposition (DED)... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Turkish Companies Test 3D Printed Component for Armored Vehicles

McGill Spinout Uses 3D Bioprinting to Create Tumors for Smarter Cancer Treatments

TissueTinker, a McGill University spinout company, has developed 3D bioprinting technology to create miniaturized tumor models for cancer drug testing. The company recently... read more »

Medical
McGill Spinout Uses 3D Bioprinting to Create Tumors for Smarter Cancer Treatments

University of Twente Awarded €13.6M for Research in Circular 3D Printing and Transparent AI

The University of Twente has received €13.6 million in funding from the 2024 NWA ORC program to lead two research projects focused on... read more »

News
University of Twente Awarded €13.6M for Research in Circular 3D Printing and Transparent AI

China’s 3D Printed Micro Turbojet Engine Completes Maiden Flight

The Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) has successfully completed the first flight test of its 3D-printed micro turbojet engine in Inner Mongolia... read more »

Aerospace
China's 3D Printed Micro Turbojet Engine Completes Maiden Flight

Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Researchers at the University of Cambridge's Center for Industrial Photonics have developed a new additive manufacturing technique called laser-assisted cold spray (LACS). The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

Titomic Limited, an Australian company specializing in cold spray additive manufacturing, has received €800,000 in funding from the Netherlands' 3D Print Kompas program.... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

3D-Printed Insects Help Scientists Map the Limits of Mimicry in Nature

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a method to 3D print life-sized, color-accurate insect models for biological research. The team, led... read more »

Environmental

University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are working to combine 3D-printed respiratory tissue with lab-grown organoids to create functional airways for... read more »

Bioprinting
University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-sumer Flexibility

SHINING 3D has launched its newest flagship 3D scanner, the EinScan Rigil — touted as the world’s first 3D scanner featuring Tri-Mode operation... read more »

News
SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-Level Flexibility

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing