Virtual and Physical Prototyping

The industrial revolution that is 3D printing enables, via a variety of processes, the rapid prototyping of parts modelled in 3 Dimensions and/or which cannot be manufactured by machining, the rapid production of small series without loss of material, or the production, on demand, of replacement parts in confined spaces (space or marine applications, for example). Around 2017, several Research teams around the world made the same observation: if it is possible to manufacture by 3D printing, complex parts, would it be possible to manufacture a lithium-ion battery? This would not only enable it to be given a particular shape (other than prismatic or cylindrical) that would perfectly match the shape of the object it would be powering (the example most often given: spectacle frames used to power augmented reality lenses/screens), but also; in the longer term, would it be possible to print a 3D battery using additive manufacturing to reap all the benefits that theory predicts.

Most of the studies published have focused either on material extrusion processes with electrodes printed by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) from modified PLA filaments or using Direct Ink Writing (DIW). We can now see that the printing techniques used to manufacture one of the battery components are diversifying (SLA, SLS, binder jetting) and that the electrochemical storage systems concerned are no longer limited solely to lithium-ion batteries but are extending to supercapacitors and Metal-ion batteries, whether with liquid electrolyte, all polymer or all solid-state batteries.

The aim of this collection is to provide an overview of the various 3D printing technologies used to print components for electrochemical energy sources. The types of articles accepted will be, among others, either detailed reviews giving the state of the art in each printing technique or for each type of electrochemical energy source, original research articles on the latest advances in the field or even prospective studies on the potential applications of printed systems or on predictions (simulations) in terms of performance considering the constraints linked to the chosen printing technique.

Keywords: Additive manufacturing; 3D printing; Electrode; Electrochemical Energy Sources; Batteries

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­­­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is [31 December 2024].

Please contact Zhan Yu at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the "3D Printing of Electrochemical Energy Sources" from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

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Prof. Loïc Dupont is a professor at Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France. His research interests mainly include 3D printing of lithium-ion batteries by FFF and characterisation of batteries by electron microscopy. He is serving as Editorial Board Members for academic journals such as Virtual and Physical Prototyping (Taylor & Francis).

Prof. Alexis Maurel is an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Texas at El Paso (Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering Department, College of Engineering). His research deals with the additive manufacturing of energy storage devices (lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries), battery materials synthesis and characterization, as well as 3D printing of polymers, ceramics, metals, and composites for aerospace, defense, and biomedical applications.

Prof. Eric MacDonald, Ph.D. is a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and Murchison Chair at the University of Texas at El Paso.  Dr. MacDonald received his doctoral degree (2002) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked in industry for 12 years at IBM and Motorola and subsequently co-founded a start-up specializing in CAD software and the startup was acquired by a firm in Silicon Valley. Dr. MacDonald held faculty fellowships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, US Navy Research and was awarded a US State Department Fulbright Fellowship in South America. His research interests include 3D printed multi-functional applications and process monitoring in additive manufacturing with instrumentation and computer vision for improved quality and yield. As a co-founding editor of the Elsevier journal Additive Manufacturing, MacDonald has helped direct the academic journal to have highest impact factor among all manufacturing journals worldwide. He has recently been involved in the commissioning of a second partner journal, Additive Manufacturing Letters, upon which he serves as the Editor-in-Chief.  Recent projects include 3D printing of structures such as nano satellites with structurally-embedded electronics - one of which was launched into Low Earth Orbit in 2013 and a replica of which was on display at the London Museum of Science. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications, dozens of patents, one of which was licensed by Sony and Toshiba from IBM.

Emeritus Prof. Alain BERNARD, graduated in 1982, PhD in 1989, was associate-Professor, from 1990 to 1996 in Centrale Paris. From Sept. 1996 to Oct. 2001, he was Professor in CRAN, Nancy I, and leaded the “Integrated Design and Manufacturing” team. Since 0ct. 2001, he has been Professor at Centrale Nantes and Dean for Research from 2007 to 2012. He retired in Sept. 2021 and became emeritus Professor for 2 years. Now, he is Honorary Professor of Centrale Nantes and emeritus researcher in LS2N laboratory (Laboratory of Digital Sciences in Nantes - UMR CNRS 6004), former head of the “Systems Engineering – Products – Processes -Performances” team. His research topics are KM, PLM, information system modeling, enterprise modeling, systems performance assessment, virtual engineering, additive manufacturing. He supervised 40 PhD students. He published more than 150 papers in refereed international journals and books. He is Honorary President of France Additive (French Association on Additive Manufacturing), former vice-chairman of WG5.1 of IFIP (Global Product Development for the whole product lifecycle) and Fellow emeritus of CIRP. In 2018, he has been elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Technologies of France.

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