Invited Speaker

Abstract: 3D printing technology facilitates the manufacturing of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite components with complex geometries, providing exceptional design freedom that overcomes the shape limitations inherent in conventional manufacturing approaches. However, due to the transient, low-pressure nature of thermoplastic composite 3D printing, the fabricated parts frequently exhibit poor interlayer adhesion, high porosity, and substantial warpage deformation, resulting in significantly compromised mechanical performance relative to traditionally manufactured counterparts. To date, there exists a critical gap in composite structural design methodologies and processing techniques specifically adapted for 3D printing characteristics.
To overcome these challenges, this report systematically addresses three key aspects:
(1) This report details several innovative topology optimization methods for 3D-printed composite structures approaches: manufacturing-constrained topology optimization frameworks specifically developed for 3D-printed composites, and a novel multi-level optimization strategy for designing load-bearing and functional composite structures.
(2) This report demonstrates an advanced multi-axis robotic 3D printing system capable of processing both continuous and short fiber-reinforced composites. The research establishes a comprehensive methodology for printing pressure measurement and calculation, while systematically investigating the effects of key process parameters on both printing pressure and product quality. Furthermore, a coupled thermo-mechanical model of the printing process is discussed.
(3) The report discusses several advanced applications of 3D Printing Technology, including bio-inspired interface-toughening structures, process-controlled bioinspired structures with alternating strong-weak layers, and induction-heated lattice-reinforced thin-walled structures.

Biography: Prof. Kunkun Fu is currently working as Deputy Dean of the School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics at Tongji University, P.R. China. He was awarded a national early-career scientist fellowship in 2018 after he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales Canberra. Prof. Fu’s major research interests include the failure mechanics of composite structures and additive manufacturing of fiber reinforced composites. He has strong expertise in numerical modelling of composite structures in various engineering areas in particularly under extreme conditions such as lightning strike and impact. So far, he has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal publications and served as the editorial members of several journals, the committee member of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, the executive committee member of Shanghai Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and the committee member of Shanghai Society of Composite Materials.