MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR 3D PRINTING IN UKRAINE (OVERVIEW)

Abstract

An overview of additive manufacturing technologies in Ukraine from the end of the last century to 2021 is presented. The current state of 3D printing in Ukraine was analyzed in terms of new developments (startups), research areas, and direct implementation of additive manufacturing technologies. The main scientific and research teams that were actively engaged in the development and implementation of additive manufacturing technologies in Ukraine since the end of the 1990s were considered. They include those involved in research in selective laser sintering of ceramic powders produced from refractory ZrO₂–TiO₂ and TiN–TiB₂ compounds conducted at the Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and research intended to produce 3D articles by welding metals or alloys called xBeam 3D Metal Printing conducted at the Yevhen Paton Institute of Electric Welding, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This technology found its commercial implementation in the PJSC ‘NVO Chervona Khvylia’ startup. The paper discusses the main trends in the development of new equipment for 3D printing with ceramic, polymer-ceramic materials, and metals and alloys, as well as experiments combining different materials to produce new properties. The latest experiments with the shape of materials are presented. They involve the formation of lattice structures that not only reduce the weight of the product but also impart properties that are comparable in level to dense materials. The main attention is paid to the overview of up-to-date capabilities and prospects for the use of additive manufacturing technologies and materials in national materials science. Attention is also focused on prospects for producing articles of complex shape for various functional purposes from ceramics, metals, and associated composites.