Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise

 

Special Issue on: "Research Issues in 3D Printing"

Guest Editor:
Abe Zeid, Northeastern University, USA

3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) is being hailed as a concept that can and will change our daily lives and how we do things, from packing for travel and what we wear to even how we prepare food. The automotive industry was among the earliest adopters of 3D printing technology. However, the recent explosive growth in the utilisation of 3D printing is powering an evolution in all fields, including manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, fashion, art, and possibly replacing the kitchen microwave with a 3D food printer. This growth is attributed to advances in both materials and technology, driven by falling prices of 3D printers and other hardware.

In theory, 3D printing should be able to print any shape from any material. Common materials are plastics and paper. Other materials include metals, wood and glass. MakerBot now has new composite filaments that incorporate inner alia, iron and limestone. However, challenges remain in the 3D printing field, most notably the time it takes to print. 3D printing is still a slow process, taking hours in some cases days to print an object depending on its size and the material it is printed from. Other challenges include high costs, safety concerns, compatibility issues among different 3D printers, and software user interface complexity.

This special issue seeks research contributions that address computational, speed and material issues related to additive manufacturing, to name a few. The issue invites contributions from the engineering community, materials researchers and industry, and welcomes practice-oriented topics as well as basic research contributions.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Speeding up 3D printing processes
• Investigating continuous 3D printing as opposed to layer-by-layer
• Design of better 3D printer hardware
• Developing better 3D printer software
• Investigating use of new materials
• Cost-effective 3D printing technologies
• Compelling consumer applications that can be 3D printed at home
• Architecting user-friendly 3D printers with easy-to-use user interfaces
• Enhancing the safety of 3D printing and its operations
• Investigating high-volume commercial 3D printing
• Support for multi-material printing, such as combining metals and plastics
• Investigating bio and nano 3D printing
• Combine 3D printing with other manufacturing methods
• Ethical issues of using 3D printing in personalised medicine, such as printing living bone cells using stem cell research
• Reducing energy consumption by 3D printers and making them ecofriendly
• Investigating 3D-printed drugs
• Investigating national security risks arising from 3D printing
• Computational residual stress analysis in 3D printing due to heat and fluctuating
• temperatures
• Operation and maintenance of 3D printers
• Investigating new innovative applications of 3D printing

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 31 October, 2016