Improving the Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Gun Propellants

The development of 3D printing techniques for energetic materials is an ongoing task that necessitates balancing the requirements of the process technology and the used materials. To facilitate extrusion through a fine nozzle in the case of the material extrusion technique, elevated temperatures are needed. This limits the selection of suitable materials and requires adaptations compared to conventional manufacturing processes. In recent years, 3D printed gun propellants based on GAP-ETPE have been developed at Fraunhofer ICT showing promising results.