METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ELASTIC AND FLEXIBLE FIBER WITH OPTICAL, ELECTRICAL OR MICROFLUIDIC FUNCTIONALITY

• Main Authors: MINEV, Ivan, AFANASENKAU, Dzmitry, PAK, Anna, ATHANASIADIS, Markos
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 02.09.2020
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The invention therefore relates to a method for manufacturing an elastic and flexible fiber with a pre-determined non-circular cross-sectional geometry, the method comprising extrusion of an elastomer from a nozzle onto a substrate, wherein the pre-determined non-circular cross-sectional geometry of the fiber is determined by the height and velocity of the nozzle relative to the substrate. The invention relates to methods for producing preferably biocompatible micro-fluidic, electrically-conducting and light-guiding fibers using the methods of the invention. The invention further relates to elastic and flexible fibers produced by the method, such as fibers with an elliptical cross-sectional geometry, fibers with a flattened cylinder (ribbon) form or an elongated indentation along a length of the fiber (groove) and corresponding uses.