Teng Teng
← Research

2022–2023

Multi-material 3D Printing for Tension-Compression Structure

Stress-informed material placement tunes the response of continuously printed tension and compression members.

Research question
How does material distribution affect structural response within a given geometry?
My role
Led the continuous multi-filament structural-printing study and developed material-assignment and fabrication methods.

Printed Pratt trusses and comparative load tests support specimen-specific performance claims; the related strut-and-tie study is identified separately. View evidence ↓

Toolpath and load testing

Material assignment, comparative load tests, and measured specimen response.

Printed trusses

Material distribution and structural analysis of the truss prototype.

This project develops continuous multi-filament printing for structural components whose material distribution follows tensile and compressive demand. A single nozzle switches between filament feeds while maintaining a connected deposition path.

A toolpath generator assigns materials to specific regions according to their stress conditions. Printed Pratt trusses provide a test case for coordinating structural geometry, material selection, and fabrication sequence.

Comparative load tests examine the behavior of single-material and multimaterial specimens. The experiments demonstrate improved performance for the tested multimaterial trusses and make the relationship between force flow and material placement visible in the printed components.

A related strut-and-tie specimen was printed by Yefan Zhi and me in 2023. Its underlying graphic-statics research was developed by Salma Mozaffari, Masoud Akbarzadeh, and Thomas Vogel.

StressPath

StressPath provides a browser-based workspace for exploring structural design, analysis, toolpath generation, and material distribution alongside this research. Save a study as a JSON project file and open it later to continue working.

Explore StressPath · Open the workspace

Method

A toolpath generator assigns materials according to tensile and compressive demand, connecting structural analysis to fabrication instructions.

  1. 01

    Analyze

    Identify tensile and compressive regions in a truss.

  2. 02

    Assign

    Relate the local stress condition to material selection.

  3. 03

    Deposit

    Maintain a connected path while switching between filament feeds.

  4. 04

    Load test

    Compare single-material and multimaterial Pratt-truss specimens.

Strut-and-tie printing study

Specimen printed by Teng Teng and Yefan Zhi in 2023; underlying graphic-statics research by Salma Mozaffari, Masoud Akbarzadeh, and Thomas Vogel.

Additional experiments and design studies

Evidence & scope

Comparative tests show improved performance for the tested multimaterial Pratt trusses. The evidence is specific to the specimen geometry, material combinations, and test setup reported in the study.

Related publications

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