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MIT Develops Inkjet-Style 3D Printer That Uses 10 Different Materials At Once
Lucas123 writes: Researchers at MIT have been able to build a printer with uses 10 different photosensitive polymers to create a myriad of objects, and they were able to build it using off-the-shelf commodity parts for around $7,000. The MultiFab 3D printer works by mixing together microscopic droplets of photopolymers that are then extruded through inkjet printheads similar to those in office printers. A UV light then hardens the polymers layer by layer. Perhaps even more remarkable than the list of materials it can use is the MultiFab 3D printer's ability to self-calibrate and self-correct during a print job (PDF). The printer has an integrated machine vision system that automatically readjusts the printer head if errors occur, rectifying the build before a problem ruins the object; that means print jobs that run into errors don't need to be cancelled and materials wasted. The researchers said they can foresee an array of applications for the MultiFab 3D in consumer electronics, microsensing, medical imaging and telecommunications, among other things.
At some point all those old grumpy men who mock the progress of technology are going to have to pick some other up-and-coming technology to mock since it's clear that 3D printing is going to keep improving.
What 'commodities' were they using? Gold and platinum, with a dash of uranium?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Until they can lock it in with proprietary "validation" for "quality", it's not even close.
How is this different than Objet, which has been recently assimilated by the Borg Ship Stratos? Remember: Resistance is futile! Just ask Makerbot.
Ink Jet printer technology is one of the few things I can think of that have actually gotten slightly less reliable than it used to be, not that it used to be that reliable either, good luck.
grep -iw skynet
> self-correct
This will become much more interesting with full 3D printers that can self-replicate. How many copies down the road until enough errors crop up that it stops working "good enough" and starts printing out Bitch Printies.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
The Inkjet printhead is one of the more interesting parts of this machine. Digging through the layers of websites and papers reveals the printhead is an Epson Workforce 30.
The bulk of that work was done by Joyce Kwan, Paper here: Design of Electronics for a High-resolution, Multi- Material, and Modular 3D Printer
This is a great paper and amazing work on hacking up an Epson printhead and I hope they progress this further
Signature v3.0, now with 42% less memory usage.
Did you summon a grumpy old man? Here I am. Of course I've really impressed by this, the printer can print in 10 different materials, .... just as long as all of them are photosensitive polymers. What a crock! Looks like there is still more room for improvement.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
So, what's step 2?
If you run out of the black polymer, you have to buy a whole new cartridge.
To get the full range of results you would need two sets of materials, a hard and a soft set. Each set would need Black, White, Clear, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Red Green and Blue. That is a total of eighteen, then add conductor and semiconductor for a total of twenty materials.
Elon Musk 3D-prints solar cells and supercapacitors!
So say we all