Switzerland applies 3D printing technology to develop new acoustic damping materials

The Swiss Federal Institute of Materials (EMPA) applied 3D printing technology to develop a new acoustic damping material. EMPA's research team used selective laser sintering 3D printing technology to print the polymer layer by layer and laser sintering to obtain a new material with a special spring structure and a certain strength. The basic unit of the new material is an inter-connected, ring-shaped cell structure with a diameter of about 4 cm. Under sound waves, it can not only generate three-dimensional movements up, down, left and right, but also rotate along its geometric symmetry axis. This material has a very strong damping effect on the sound waves and the experimental results show that it absorbs 99% of the sound waves at 800 Hz (the typical frequency of the human voice) and because the material is almost "hollow" and obstructs the light Very small. This new material has broad applications in the construction, automotive and aerospace industries. Researchers will first embed this material in engineering high-resolution materials to create so-called "sandwich" structures that serve as new high-performance, space-separated and sound-proof materials.