Title: 3D Printed Foam Lattices: Engineering Applications of Elastomeric Multiscale Cellular Materials

Authors: Dodd Grande

DOI:

Abstract: Cellular microstructures provide unique mechanical properties in materials ranging from natural systems (bone, wood) to synthetic foams. Additive manufacturing extends these benefits to designed lattice structures. This work describes lattices built from flexible foam material, enabling control of cellular architecture at two distinct length scales: micrometer and centimeter. FreeFoam™ is a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printed elastomeric foam that combines two hierarchical length scales: intrinsic foam cells at ~10 μm scale and printed lattice unit cells at the centimeter scale. This multiscale architecture provides two independent design variables for tailoring mechanical performance in flexible structures. This paper presents FreeFoam™ constituent material properties and lattice mechanical behavior. Mechanical behavior is analyzed using concepts from the Gibson-Ashby cellular solids framework. Structure-property relationships based on the Gibson-Ashby framework are validated experimentally and used to develop engineering design tools. This framework is used to study the progression of stiffness properties from elastomer to foam to lattices built from the foam. Results presented demonstrate design flexibility and performance that are achievable using multiscale elastomeric cellular structures.

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Conference: SAMPE 2026

Publication Date: 2026/04/27

SKU: 305

Pages: 15

Price: $30.00