3D Printing

A team of researchers from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi has developed a means of 3D printing rugged optical fibers that can be used as temperature sensors. The group has published their findings in the Additive Manufacturing journal. Using polymer resins embedded with color-changing powders, the researchers have been able to produce flexible and tough optical fibers that are vastly more robust than the traditional (brittle) kind that are made of glass. More Robust While industrial sensors made from glass fiber optics are commonplace, they are prone to readout errors due to the harsh environments they are often placed in. “Optical fiber sensors can work in harsh environments as they are immune to electromagnetic interferences and have remote sensing capabilities,” said Dr. Haider Butt, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, at the university. “They show high sensitivity but they do have durability issues and are prone to be affected by small…    read more 

Figure 4 Tough Clear Figure 4 Tough Clear is 3D Systems’ first clear material for its Figure 4 platform designed forlong-term use parts and functional prototypes. Parts produced using Figure 4 Tough Clear possessexcellent clarity that is improved with post-processing. This can be extremely valuable for applications such as fluid and gas flow to observe the inner workings of complex assemblies. It can also enhance light transmission and reflection for lenses, light guides and lighting covers.Additionally, this material delivers a desirable combination of customer-critical performance traitsincluding impact strength, tensile strength, and elongation properties which remain stable up to eight years. Figure 4 Tough Clear is tested to eight years of indoor and one and a half years outdoor mechanicalperformance per ASTM D4329 and ASTM G154 methods, ensuring that printed parts remain functional andstable for long periods in real-world conditions. In addition to lenses, light guides and lighting covers, this material…    read more 

The Geeetech THUNDER Kickstarter campaign has officially started today, and we are going to look at the deal on offer. The THUNDER will come with high printing speed, all-metal body, a super strong cooling system and big printing volume. Read on to learn more about this new speedy FFF desktop printer. THUNDER The Geeetech THUNDER has been in development for two years and is now ready for launch. The printing speed of the Geeetech THUNDER can reach up to 300mm/s, with accelerations of 5000mm/s² for the X-axis and 4000mm/s² for the Y-axis. When compared against the same model and same print quality, these speed gains result in a saving of between 30%-70% in printing time. Overview The THUNDER offers a printing volume of 250 x 250 x 260 mm and comes with 5 different printing modes for different printing needs. In addition, the printer includes a dual drive gear extruder,…    read more 

Researchers from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) have printed Spain’s first additively manufactured house. The small house has been printed on the facilities of Valldaura Labs, Barcelona, and differs from usual 3D printed homes as it isn’t made from concrete or polymers, but from dirt, eggs and a whole other bunch of organic detritus. Read on to know more about this locally sourced, near-zero carbon construction. And feast your eyes on the printed building in the image below. Eggy. (Image credit: IAAC) The project has been developed by the 3DPA (3D printing architecture) postgraduate research program at the IAAC. The goal of this course is to train architects and researchers for the future of construction and to explore the possibilities of 3D printing in this sector. The building itself, named TOVA, is made from 100% locally sourced materials which include soil, enzymes and other additives to provide…    read more 

Researchers from Texas A&M University have created a new class of 3D printable inks that are not only conductive, but are also extremely biocompatible as well. This technology could help develop the next generation of wearable and implantable biomedical devices, and could offer those engineers a new tool in their tool belt. Flexible electronics have been around for decades now and the biomedical field has had a large interest in them since their conception. Their flexible wiring and biocompatibility are an ideal combination for a variety of devices ranging from sweat receptors to nerve cuffs and everything in between. However, when designing these types of devices there has often been a trade off between conductivity and biocompatibility. Neither extreme is ideal, and something needed to change in order to widen the capabilities of biomedical devices. Enter Texas A&M. The team from the Gaharwar Laboratory also saw this void in the…    read more