A preliminary step in the process of obtaining CHE approval for a joint doctoral program between the Hebrew University and the Shenkar Department of Polymer Materials Engineering was the submission of an application to the Israel Innovation Authority for a research grant for the recycling of materials that are polymerized by radiation, for 3D printing.

The research group at Shenkar is headed by professor Hana Dodiuk, head of the master’s degree program in Polymer Materials Engineering, and professor Shlomo Magdassi, who leads the research group at Hebrew University. Both are mentoring doctoral student Netanel Yarak, a summa cum laude master’s degree graduate at the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering.

The purpose of the research, which has been approved for two years, is to prove that it is possible to recycle a material that has been hardened by radiation and turned into a material that cannot be melted. In preliminary research prior to submission to the Israel Innovation Authority, it was found that it is possible to recycle radiation-polymerized materials into a material that can be used for reprinting many times without impairing the properties of the printed part, using “dynamic chemical bonds.” Proof of the groundbreaking, innovative principle in radiation-hardened polymers forms the basis for the joint application for a patent between the two institutions.

The research has far-reaching industrial implications beyond the 3D printing industry (which is worth over four billion dollars), especially in medical applications where these materials are used for dentistry and the adhesion of biological systems. The research was done with the support of Stratasys – a world leader in 3D printing.