CHS: Small: Expanding the Design Space for Interactive Objects Through Development of Advanced 3D Printers and Printing Technology

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

3D printing has tremendous potential to improve productivity in American businesses large and small, and to expand our ability to compete through innovation. It holds the promise of moving from mass-manufacture of one design for all, to mass customization where objects can be individualized to meet personal needs and preferences, as well as the demands of varying tasks. It also holds the promise of "democratizing" the means of production, by extending a new ability to manufacture unique products to individuals and small businesses who could not previously afford to do their own manufacturing. However, there are a number of barriers which are currently keeping this exciting new technology from reaching more widespread use. One of those barriers is the limited range of materials that 3D printers can handle. Currently, nearly all 3D printing is done in a single hard material such as plastic. However, most of the objects we use regularly are made from multiple materials, and often include soft materials which, as of yet, are inaccessible to 3D printers. This project seeks to improve this situation by exploring the design and implementation of new types of 3D printers, including: those that can produce soft fibrous materials; those capable of creating metal objects without the need for high temperatures or specialized environments; and hybrid printers capable of producing mixed material objects that include both hard metal and plastic as well as soft components. The goal is to create simple printers that are inexpensive and suitable for potential home or small business use. To maximize impact, a premium will be placed on simplicity of operation, so that the new printers can be run in your garage or basement if not on your desktop, by people without extensive training; similarly, there will be no use of exotic materials or chemistry. If successful, project outcomes will have a wide impact which helps to change the nature of manufacturing by expanding its availability and flexibility, especially for smaller scale production. This project seeks to develop three new types of 3D printers and to explore the design space for interactive devices which is opened by them. The first will produce prints that are able to mix soft fibers (produced by electrospinning) with traditional rigid plastic in a single print. The second will consider printing of layered metal objects at near room temperature in a way that will support embedding and mixing of materials, while the third will take advantage of this property to provide prints which are capable of containing metal (e.g., as a strong structural core), conventional plastic (e.g., as a functional body) and soft fiber components (e.g., as a soft skin and/or to provide flexibility where needed). For each of these printers, the project will explore the substantial new design space that is opened up at three levels: basic printing capabilities (such as engineered stiffness variations for custom bending), reusable components that are enabled by the new materials (such as input sensors or new compliant mechanisms), and full example objects which will test the practical bounds of the work.