This 3D Printer Self-Monitors During Printing
Engineers can create complex structures using 3D inkjet printing, crafting robotic grippers that blend softness and strength for safe human interaction. Traditionally, these printers use UV-cured resin, but slower-curing materials could get squished during the smoothing process.
MIT, Inkbit, and ETH Zurich researchers devised an innovative 3D inkjet system. It employs computer vision to scan the printing area, adjusting resin amounts in real-time across nozzles. Unlike traditional methods, this contactless approach accommodates slower-curing materials, offering enhanced elasticity and durability without halting the printing process. This automation also makes the printer significantly faster than others, boosting production speed immensely.
This 3D printer self-monitors during printing: Contact-free
The researchers expanded upon their earlier work with MultiFab, a cost-effective 3D printer handling multiple materials. MultiFab used UV-cured resin droplets deposited by thousands of nozzles for high-resolution printing of intricate structures in up to 10 materials simultaneously.
Their current project aimed to extend material possibilities for crafting more intricate devices without contact. They developed “vision-controlled jetting,” employing four high-speed cameras and two lasers scanning the print surface continuously. As these cameras record the resin droplet deposition, the system creates a depth map nearly instantaneously, matching it against the CAD model to adjust resin deposition for precise structure alignment.
This automated system can fine-tune each of the 16,000 nozzles, enabling intricate details in the fabricated device. Katzschmann expressed the system’s capabilities, stating it can create almost any multi-material object without limitations, ensuring functional and durable results.
The system’s precision allows it to print accurately with wax, serving as a support material for creating cavities or complex networks within an object. As the device is printed, wax is used beneath the structure. Later, heating the completed object melts and removes the wax, leaving behind intricate channels.
By dynamically controlling material deposition across the nozzles in real-time, the system eliminates the need for mechanical parts to level the print surface. This feature allows the use of slower-curing materials that would otherwise be affected by a scraping tool.
Superior materials
The researchers utilized the system to print with thiol-based materials, which cure slower compared to typical acrylics used in 3D printing. However, thiol-based materials offer greater elasticity, durability, and resilience to temperature variations and sunlight-induced degradation than acrylates.
“These properties are crucial when creating robots or systems that interact with real-world environments,” explains Katzschmann.
Employing thiol-based materials and wax, the team crafted intricate devices challenging to produce with existing 3D printing methods. For instance, they developed a functional robotic hand controlled by 19 independently actuated tendons, featuring sensor-padded soft fingers and sturdy load-bearing bones.
“We also designed a six-legged walking robot capable of sensing and grasping objects, made possible by the system’s capacity to form airtight interfaces with both soft and rigid materials, along with intricate internal channels,” Buchner adds.
Additionally, the team displayed the technology’s potential with a heart-like pump featuring integrated ventricles and artificial valves, as well as programmable metamaterials with nonlinear material traits.
“This marks the beginning. The technology opens doors to an array of new materials that were previously unsuitable for 3D printing,” Matusik concludes.
The researchers aim to expand the system’s capabilities by experimenting with printing hydrogels for tissue engineering, silicon materials, epoxies, and robust polymers. They’re also considering applications like personalized medical devices, semiconductor polishing pads, and advanced robotics.
Financial support for this research came from Credit Suisse, the Swiss National Science Foundation, DARPA, and NSF.
Read the original article on ScienceDaily.
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