3D Printing News & Discussions

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3D-printed Pneumatic Modules Replace Electric Controls in Soft Robots
February 1, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) In the future, soft robots will be able to perform tasks that cannot be done by conventional robots. These soft robots could be used in terrain that is difficult to access and in environments where they are exposed to chemicals or radiation that would harm electronically controlled robots made of metal. This requires such soft robots to be controllable without any electronics, which is still a challenge in development.

A research team at the University of Freiburg has now developed 3D-printed pneumatic logic modules that control the movements of soft robots using air pressure alone. These modules enable logical switching of the air flow and can thus imitate electrical control. The modules make it possible for the first time to produce flexible and electronics-free soft robots entirely in a 3D printer using conventional filament printing material. The team led by Dr. Stefan Conrad, Dr. Falk Tauber, Joscha Teichmann and Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck from the Cluster of Excellence “Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS)” has published its results in the renowned journal Science Robotics.

“Our design makes it possible for anyone with 3D printing experience to produce such logic modules and use them to control a soft robot without the need for high-end printing equipment,” says Conrad. “This marks a significant step towards completely electronics-free pneumatic control circuits that can replace increasingly complex electrical components in soft robots in the future.”

Modules can perform Boolean operations and direct airflow into movement elements in a targeted manner

The modules consist of two pressurised chambers. A 3D-printed channel runs between these chambers. By compressing the channel, the expanding chambers can stop the air flow in it and regulate it like a valve. By opening and closing the valve in a targeted manner, the modules can perform the Boolean logic functions “AND”, “OR” and “NOT” in a similar way to electrical circuits and direct the air flow into the movement elements of the soft robot. Which function the individual module performs is determined by the chambers into which air pressure is applied. Depending on the material selected, the modules can be operated with a pressure of between 80 and more than 750 kilopascals.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033109

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3D printed nanocellulose upscaled for green architectural applications
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-3d- ... tural.html
by Chalmers University of Technology

For the first time, a hydrogel material made of nanocellulose and algae has been tested as an alternative, greener architectural material. The study, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods.

The research is presented in a paper titled "Robotically 3D printed architectural membranes from ambient dried cellulose nanofibril-alginate hydrogel" published in the journal Materials and Design.

The construction industry today consumes 50% of the world's fossil resources, generates 40% of global waste and causes 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions. There is a growing line of research into biomaterials and their applications, in order to transition to a greener future in line with, for example, the European Green Deal.

Nanocellulose is not a new biomaterial, and its properties as a hydrogel are known within the field of biomedicine, where it can be 3D printed into scaffolds for tissue and cell growth, due to its biocompatibility and wetness. But it has never been dried and used as an architectural material before.

[Time_Traveller]

Exploring the Sustainability of SLS 3D Printing Using Recycled Polypropylene: A Research Analysis

March 4, 2024

Andaltec, a Spanish research center specialized in plastics, has introduced the RECYPPOWDER project. This project aims to investigate the potential application of recycled polypropylene in additive manufacturing.

Polypropylene, recognised for its resilience and lightweight characteristics, has found wide application in different industries for prototyping. However, merging recycled polypropylene into additive manufacturing practices, specifically SLS, is still a fairly new idea. Pioneered by Innomaq 21 and partnered with University of Barcelona and Andaltec, the study wishes to design affordable and sustainable substrates that are fit for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology, through the utilization of recycled materials.

Recycled polypropylene for sustainable SLS 3D printing

As per the company’s statement, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) represents a flexible 3D printing technique, famous for its skill to create extremely accurate and intricate components. It belongs to the powder bed fusion (PBF) family of additive manufacturing technologies, functioning by warming up powder within a chamber underneath its fusion point. A roller then puts down a thin layer onto a build platform, and a laser selectively sinters the powder, subsequently forming a part’s cross-section upon solidifying. Thereafter, the platform descends, and the procedure occurs repeatedly, layer by layer, until it finishes. Once completed, compressed air cleans off the component, and the remaining powder is collected for future use, thereby reducing waste.

Nevertheless, there are limitations with SLS 3D printing in terms of the appropriate raw materials. At present, polyamide, which is more commonly known as nylon, is the popular choice, frequently enhanced with additions such as aluminum or glass to improve the final part traits. But, there is a significant lack of commercial polymer powder originating from recycled polypropylene for the use in SLS applications.

Understanding this issue, researchers intend to formulate co-polymers mixing commercial and recycled polypropylene, refining their particle size and traits for laser processing. It involves addressing the inherent variability of recycled materials as compared to their original versions. In addition to this, feasibility studies will investigate the possibility of replacing the transportation of parts with the transmission of printing data to decrease carbon emissions.

https://3dprintingnews.com/2024/03/04/e ... -analysis/

[wjfox]

World's First-Ever 3D Printed Mosque Opens in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Published on March 15, 2024

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now home to the world’s first 3D-printed mosque, spanning an area of 5,600 sqm. Located within the Al-Jawhara suburb of Jeddah, the mosque stands as a tribute to the late equestrian Abdulaziz Abdullah Sharbatly. The project by Forsan Real Estate utilizes cutting-edge 3D printing technology from Guanli.

The mosque's construction was completed within six months and spearheaded by Wajnat Abdulwahed, the spouse of the late Abdulaziz Abdullah Sharbatly. Aimed at fostering serenity amongst worshipers while integrating natural light, the mosque also features distinctive minarets, creating a landmark within the neighborhood.

The inauguration of the mosque positions Saudi Arabia as a technological hub, surpassing the United Arab Emirates’ projected timeline for a similar endeavor. Dubai announced an initiative to construct the world’s first 3D-printed mosque last May. As a new and complex technique, the successful completion of the world’s 3D-printed religious infrastructure holds potential for the future of architecture and design.

https://www.archdaily.com/1014542/world ... udi-arabia

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Giant robotic arm 3D prints a 27-foot-tall house
By Michael Franco
March 20, 2024

A new 3D construction printer from Icon can whip out two-story concrete buildings faster and cheaper than its previous Vulcan printer. It has already been used to build a 27-ft-high structure called Phoenix House, now on display in Austin, Texas.

Since introducing its first 3D-printed house at the SXSW festival in Austin in 2018, Texas-based Icon has become a leader in creating 3D-printed structures. Using its Vulcan 3D construction printer, it has now built over 130 homes across the US and Mexico and has plans to build the world's largest 3D-printed neighborhood in its home state. It has also been part of a NASA project to build a model habitat for Mars and is working on the development of 3D-printed Moon-based structures including landing pads, roads, and habitats as part of Project Olympus.

https://newatlas.com/architecture/3d-pr ... n-phoenix/

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In a world-first, wooden items get 3D-printed out of wood-only ingredients
By Ben Coxworth
March 20, 2024
https://newatlas.com/3d-printing/wooden ... gredients/

Scientists have developed a new "ink" that allows objects to be 3D-printed out of wood. The material could reduce the amount of wood that gets wasted in the manufacturing of various products, plus it could utilize existing wood waste that would otherwise end up being burned or dumped.

First of all, the use of wood in 3D printing media isn't a new idea.

Among other things, we've previously seen wooden-ish objects printed out cellulose derived from wood, along with a 3D-printed guitar made of sawdust mixed with a bio-epoxy resin. Scientists at MIT are even developing a method of growing lab-cultivated wood into predetermined three-dimensional shapes.

Researchers at Houston's Rice University, however, are claiming that they are the first people to 3D-print truly wooden objects out of a material made up solely of wood's natural components.

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Researchers 3D print key components for a point-of-care mass spectrometer
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-3d- ... meter.html
by Adam Zewe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mass spectrometry, a technique that can precisely identify the chemical components of a sample, could be used to monitor the health of people who suffer from chronic illnesses. For instance, a mass spectrometer can measure hormone levels in the blood of someone with hypothyroidism.

But mass spectrometers can cost several hundred thousand dollars, so these expensive machines are typically confined to laboratories where blood samples must be sent for testing. This inefficient process can make managing a chronic disease especially challenging.

"Our big vision is to make mass spectrometry local. For someone who has a chronic disease that requires constant monitoring, they could have something the size of a shoebox that they could use to do this test at home. For that to happen, the hardware has to be inexpensive," says Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a principal research scientist in MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL).

He and his collaborators have taken a big step in that direction by 3D printing a low-cost ionizer—a critical component of all mass spectrometers—that performs twice as well as its state-of-the-art counterparts.

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Smart 3D printer tunes itself to build with unfamiliar materials
By Ben Coxworth
April 08, 2024
https://newatlas.com/3d-printing/automa ... ing-media/

A recently developed system could revolutionize the world of 3D printing, by streamlining the adoption of new print media. Such materials could include ones made from all-renewable ingredients, or that are more recyclable than current options.

Most 3D printers utilize a process known as fused filament fabrication (FFF). This involves heating a polymer filament to its melting point, then extruding it through a nozzle. Successive layers of the molten material are deposited one on top of the other, forming a single solid object as they cool and fuse together.

It's not quite that simple, however.

Depending on the formulation of the polymer, the filament will have to be heated to a specific temperature, placed under a certain amount of pressure, and extruded at a certain speed.

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New 3D-printing method makes printing objects more affordable and eco-friendly
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-3d- ... endly.html
by Karen Dooley, University of Florida

University of Florida engineers have developed a method for 3D printing called vapor-induced phase-separation 3D printing, or VIPS-3DP, to create single-material as well as multi-material objects. The discovery has the potential to advance the world of additive manufacturing.

Yong Huang, Ph. D., a professor in UF's department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, said the printing process he and colleagues developed allows manufacturers to create custom-made objects economically and sustainably. The novel approach is reported in the journal Nature Communications.

"It is more economical and much simpler than current counterpart technologies," he said. "It's an affordable process for printing advanced materials, including metals."