---
title: "Glasgow and Sydney uni researchers map damage in 3D printed lattices"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/glasgow-and-sydney-uni-researchers-map-damage-in-3d-printed-lattices/
date: 2026-10-01
modified: 2026-10-01
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the University of Sydney have used electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a medical imaging technique, to map damage as it develops in 3D printed..."
categories:
  - "3D Printing Processes"
  - "AM Research"
  - "Research & Education"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3D-printing-damage-mapping-01-640x400.jpg
word_count: 403
---

# Glasgow and Sydney uni researchers map damage in 3D printed lattices

Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the University of Sydney have used electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a medical imaging technique, to map damage as it develops in [3D printed lattice structures](https://www.voxelmatters.com/plate-lattice-architectures/).

The work was the first reported use of in situ EIT to monitor damage in 3D printed architected metamaterials, and was outlined in [a paper published in *Advanced Functional Materials*](https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.78620).

[The team incorporated carbon nanotubes into plastic lattices printed with defined arrangements of struts and spaces](https://www.voxelmatters.com/the-university-of-glasgow-advances-3d-printed-lattice-design/). It passed current through the nanotubes and measured voltage differences with external electrodes while stretching 48-millimeter specimens to failure. An algorithm converted the voltage changes into real-time maps of conductivity.

[![Glasgow and Sydney uni researchers map damage in 3D printed lattices](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3D-printing-damage-mapping-02-640x400.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3D-printing-damage-mapping-02.jpg)

## Damage localization

The maps showed where damage developed and progressed, including away from the electrodes, and where it accumulated before the lattice broke. 

Direct observations confirmed the locations, and the maps placed damage within about one strut of its actual position. The researchers also built tiny cracks into some struts and tracked their spread under increasing strain.

The work built on a 2024 modeling framework from the University of Glasgow's Sustainable Multifunctional Materials and Additive Manufacturing (SM2AM) Lab that predicted how lattice conductivity changed under stretching or compression.

“In this research, we've developed a new way to map electrical changes across an entire 3D printed lattice structure in real time,” said Professor Shanmugam Kumar of the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow, who leads the SM2AM Lab.

“The output is somewhat like an MRI scan: just as an MRI can show what is happening throughout the body, our approach allows us to see how different parts of the lattice are responding while it is under strain.

“Conventional measurements can tell us what is happening at a particular location in a material, or provide an overall, averaged indication of the structural health of the whole structure. However, they cannot show us in detail where damage is developing and how it is spreading throughout the structure. 

“Our research shows that, by combining carefully designed lattice structures with EIT, we can obtain this much richer picture of structural behaviour, including detecting damage before the structure ultimately fails. The engineered lattice architectures enable control over sensing fidelity.

“This technique could open up potential applications in areas such as structural health monitoring and other advanced engineering systems, although further work is needed to develop and scale the technology for practical applications.”