Xerographic 3D Printing with Periodic Patterns

3D Printing, a form of additive manufacturing (AM) has gained widespread popularity for the fabrication of intricate structures. It is recognized as an innovative solution to overcome the limitations associated with traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. It also offers cost efficiency, design flexibility, rapid prototyping, and environmentally friendly attributes. In this research, we explore the Xerographic 3D printing method. The objective is to fully harness the potential of AM, capitalizing on the high productivity of the well-established Xerographic 2D digital printing techniques. In addition to the core electrostatic interactions underpinning the Xerographic dry copying process, our work introduces hydrophobic interactions between fluoropolymer particles and interim and final substrates, thus contributing to the formation of 3D structures by a transfer method. To implement this approach, we use a surface micro-texturing technique to create periodic structures on metal substrates followed by surface functionalization, which subsequently impacts hydrophobic properties. Thus, our research reveals that the supplementary hydrophobic effects substantially improve the fidelity and precision of 3D structures produced through Xerographic 3D printing. Our study is poised to advance the utilization of Xerographic 3D printing by providing a more efficient avenue for 3D structure fabrication while also deepening our understanding of the interaction mechanisms within the Xerographic setup.