DMMC - Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Lab

23/06/2026

We are pleased to share our latest publication in the Journal of Composites Science

The study investigates the development and performance of multi-material 3D-printed machine mounts, showcasing how additive manufacturing can be leveraged for engineering applications. This work is the result of a collaboration between different departments of the International Hellenic University, reflecting the Institute’s commitment to promoting collaborative research and knowledge exchange across its academic community.

Congratulations to all co-authors and collaborators involved!

In this study, the development of a novel machine mount utilizing an advanced polymer composite and porous materials is presented. Initially, a preliminary evaluation of the proposed materials was conducted, focusing on their static mechanical properties and their dynamic properties, and assessed th...

16/06/2026

🛰️ Did you know that satellites are monitoring ancient burial sites in real time — detecting threats that no human eye can see from the ground?

Most heritage sites don't fall apart dramatically. They deteriorate slowly, quietly — a thin crust of salt forming inside a 3,000-year-old stone wall, millimetres of soil shifting each season around a tomb complex, a city expanding closer year by year. By the time the damage becomes visible to someone standing there, it has often already passed the point of easy repair.

This is one of the most underappreciated challenges in cultural heritage conservation: the threats that move too slowly to notice, but too steadily to stop.

That's exactly the problem EXCALIBUR Toolkit #2 was built to solve.

🛡️ Meet THE SENTINEL — a risk mapping system that watches over burial heritage sites using a combination of satellite data (from the European Copernicus and Galileo programmes), on-site measurements, and computer models to build detailed maps of where degradation is happening and how fast it is moving. Soil erosion. Rising salt levels in masonry. Urban development creeping toward protected zones. Every threat detected, mapped, and tracked — before it becomes a crisis. 🗺️

The maps it produces are overlaid directly onto the 3D digital models of each heritage site, so conservators and site managers can see exactly which zones are most at risk and where to focus their work. Think of it as a weather forecast — but for the slow-moving forces that wear away our shared history. ⛅

🌍 THE SENTINEL is already active across four of EXCALIBUR's partner heritage sites — from the ancient Tomb of the Kings complex in Paphos, Cyprus, to bioarchaeological collections at the Democritus University of Thrace.

Because some of the most important things we have ever built deserve more than a reaction after the damage is done. They deserve a guardian that never looks away. 🏛️

💬 "The wall won't warn you when it's about to fall. THE SENTINEL will."

06/04/2026

We are pleased to announce the publication of our paper with a title "Integrating Image Processing and Machine Learning to Predict Failures in Additive Manufacturing” in the International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing.
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This study investigates a supervised machine learning approach that integrates design parameters, printing conditions, and image-based features to predict potential failures with a specific focus on identifying whether a print will be successful or not.
Congratulations to our PhD candidate Manolis Tzimtzimis and Postdoctoral Researcher Savvas Koltsakidis working under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dimitrios Tzetzis, Director of the DMMC Lab. We also gratefully acknowledge the valuable contribution of Assoc Professor Rigas Kotsakis.

24/02/2026

Could machine learning be the key to predicting the mechanical properties of 3D-printed polymers from process parameters?

We’re excited to share our latest publication from the Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory (DMMC Lab) at the International Hellenic University, now published in Polymers (MDPI):

“Machine Learning for Predicting Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Polymers from Process Parameters: A Review”

In this review, we explore how machine learning approaches are reshaping the way researchers and engineers understand and predict the mechanical performance of additively manufactured polymer parts.

Ongoing research at DMMC Lab is focused on combining experimental testing with machine learning to improve the prediction of mechanical properties in additively manufactured polymers.

Polymer additive manufacturing (AM) has grown rapidly in the past decade, with material extrusion, vat photopolymerization, powder bed fusion and jetting now widely used for functional polymer parts. The mechanical performance of these parts depends strongly on process parameters such as layer heigh...

08/01/2026

We are pleased to announce the publication of the paper “Design and Evaluation of an Additively Manufactured UAV Fixed-Wing Using Gradient Thickness TPMS Structure and Various Shells and Infill Micro-Porosities.” This work was conducted in collaboration with the UAV-iRC team, of the School of Mechanical Engineering - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The study presents a pressure-driven, variable-thickness TPMS internal wing structure, combined with temperature-controlled foaming filaments to introduce controlled porosity at both macro and micro scales in additively manufactured UAV components.

We look forward to building on this work and exploring further applications of these approaches.

Read the full article here https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/13/1/50?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article

10/10/2025

We’re pleased to share that our paper, “Additive Manufacturing of Gradient Stiffness Honeycombs Using Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composite Material Variations,” has been published in Advanced Engineering Materials.
This work, conducted as part of Savvas Koltsakidis’s PhD research, explores how combining porous, solid, and carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane within a single 3D-printed honeycomb structure enables precise control of spatial stiffness while maintaining strong interlayer bonding.
The resulting multi-stiffness designs exhibit enhanced energy absorption and higher densification strains compared to conventional uniform honeycombs, offering a promising approach for applications requiring tunable stiffness and superior impact resistance.
We would like to thank HEAL-Link (Hellenic Academic Libraries Link) for supporting open-access publication and QCONTROL for providing the X-Sight Optical Extensometer with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) capabilities, which were vital for our measurements and analysis.

Read the full article here: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adem.202501422

01/07/2025

The DMMC Lab is excited to share a new paper titled "Towards Self-Assembling 3D-Printed Shapes Through Biomimetic Mechanical Interlocking" has just been published in the journal Biomimetics.

This study is conducted by Tino Marte, an undergraduate intern from the Biomimetics-Innovation-Centre (B-I-C), Bremen University of Applied Sciences. During his internship in our lab, Tino quickly identified a compelling research direction and conducted insightful investigations that led to publishable, high-impact results.

This success highlights one of our lab’s missions: encouraging and empowering emerging scientists to harness 3D printing and design across a range of interdisciplinary applications.

We’re welcoming innovative research proposals — reach out to us at [email protected]

While early studies on macroscopic self-assembly peaked in the late 20th century, recent research continues to explore and expand the field’s potential through innovative materials and external control strategies. To harness this potential, a unit cell was designed and 3D-printed that could form a...

14/05/2025

17/04/2025

The DMMC Lab is pleased to announce the publication of another paper with a title "The Influence of Ageing Conditions and Liquid Nitrogen Cooling of Extrusion Dies on Nanoindentation Creep in 6060 Aluminium Alloy” in the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
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Τhis study investigates the effect of ageing conditions such as time and temperature as well as the use of liquid nitrogen as a cooling agent on creep behaviour and relevant creep parameters such as steady creep strain rate by nanoindentation tests.

Congratulations to our PhD candidates Vaggelis Giarmas and Manolis Tzimtzimis, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dimitrios Tzetzis, Director of the DMMC Lab.

Read the full paper:

In the present research, the effect of ageing conditions such as time and temperature as well as the use of liquid nitrogen as a cooling agent on creep behaviour and relevant creep parameters such as steady creep strain rate was investigated by nanoindentation tests. Also, the creep behaviour of the...