UK-based LFAM company Rapid Fusion is using RHEON, a special polymer that absorbs energy and changes its behavior under pressure, making it suitable for LFAM projects that require both flexibility and energy. In its unstressed state, the material stays soft and pliable for handling and shaping. When force is applied, it stiffens rapidly, a behavior the company links to three performance modes: impact control, vibration control and tension control.

The company says that parts made with RHEON can absorb energy effectively while remaining strong under changing loads, helping them perform better in situations where regular materials might fail due to repeated impacts, vibrations, or changing loads.

Rapid Fusion is printing the material on its Apollo system and reports that the platform’s process control supports the material’s variable-stiffness behavior. The toolpath for the build was generated using Ai Build, as described.

The RHEON technology has been developed over more than 15 years by a team of scientists, engineers, and designers associated with Imperial College London, the company states. The technology’s name is derived from rheology, the branch of physics focused on how matter flows and responds to applied force. At the core is an energy-absorbing polymer that remains soft at rest and stiffens under force. The company states that, when formed using patented computational design techniques, the material is structured into a metamaterial that delivers properties not typically available from conventional static materials.