Researchers devise 3-D printer that can make energetic materials safer, more environmentally friendly

Purdue University researchers have devised a method of 3-D printing that can produce energetic materials with fine geometric features faster and with less expense than traditional methods, while also being safer and more environmentally friendly.
Jeffrey Rhoads, a professor in Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering, and Emre Gunduz, a former research assistant professor at the school, along with a few colleagues, have launched a faculty-owned startup called Next Offset Solutions Inc. that makes the printers and the energetic materials, including solid rocket fuels, other propellants and pyrotechnics. The energetic materials are produced through a method that allows the printer to produce viscous materials with a consistency similar to clay.