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The Universal Fabricator

Discover the revolutionary technology that fabricates complex products without specific tools or skills. Explore various active functionalities and materials using 3D Freeform Fabrication. Evolve design possibilities and fabrication techniques.

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The Universal Fabricator

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  1. The Universal Fabricator Hod Lipson Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Computing & Information Science Cornell University Computational Synthesis Lab

  2. The Universal Fabricator • Imagine a machine that can fabricate a large variety of reasonably complex and useful things, without special tooling or skills. • It would change the way we design, make, deliver, and use products

  3. Key Features • Fabricate preassembled products • Fabricate all element types • Structural, kinematic, electronic, photonic, … • Fabricate various active functionalities • Sensors, actuators, computation, power • Integrated in complex ways • In complex intertwined geometries

  4. 3D Solid Freeform Fabrication • CNC: Removing materials • SFF: Deposit material layer by layer to create arbitrary geometries • Various materials: Polymers, Ceramics, Metals • Various processes: UV curing of photopolymers, Selective laser sintering, Fused deposition, Inkjet • Mostly focused on passive parts

  5. Laminated object manufacture Source: MIT

  6. Source: Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA

  7. Selective laser sintering Slide: MIT

  8. LENS Source: Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA

  9. Fused deposition modelling Slide: MIT

  10. Fused Deposition Source: Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA

  11. Source: Stratasys, Inc.

  12. Stereolithgraphy 3D Systems, Inc.

  13. Streolithography Source: Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA

  14. Thermojet Source: MIT

  15. Source: Z-Corp, Inc.

  16. Source: Z-Corp, Inc.

  17. Source: Z-Corp, Inc.

  18. Our goal: Functional SFF • Most technologies can handle one material at a time • Limited set of materials • Material compatibility issues • Fabricate 3D active electromechanical systems, not just passive parts • “Print” conductive wires, batteries, actuators, transistors, and other functionalities embedded in 3D structure • Challenges: • SFF-compatible functional materials (new & modified) • low temp processing, rapid curing, shape holding • Mutually-compatible materials • Process planning

  19. Our goal: Functional SFF • Long term: • Print functional product prototypes (devices/systems) • Structure, wires, actuators, sensors, power, logic • Explore new integrated material system design space • Near term: • Printable Actuators: Bridge SFF with Direct Write (ME/EE) • CPs, Ionomeric Polymer-metal Composite (IPMC) Actuators

  20. Printed Active Materials Some of our printed electromechanical / biological components: (a) elastic joint (b) zinc-air battery (c) metal-alloy wires, (d) IPMC actuator, (e) polymer field-effect transistor, (f) thermoplastic and elastomer parts, (g) cartilage cell-seeded implant in shape of sheep meniscus from CT scan. With Evan Malone

  21. Multi-material RP Illustration: Bryan Christie

  22. Our RP Platform Fabrication platform: (a) Gantry robot for deposition, and articulated robot for tool changing, (b) continues wire-feed tool (ABS, alloys), (c) Cartridge/syringe tool

  23. Zinc-Air Batteries

  24. Zinc-Air Batteries

  25. IPMC Actuators

  26. IPMC: Ionomer Ionomeric Polymer-Metal Composite • “Ionic polymer” • Branched PTFE polymer • Anion-terminated branches. • Small cation

  27. First printed dry actuator • Quantitative characterization • Improve service life • Reduce solvent loss • Reduce internal shorting • Improve force output, actuation speed

  28. IPMC Actuators

  29. Results Power [W] Force [mN]

  30. With Daniel Cohen, Larry Bonassar Multi-material 3D Printer CAT Scan Direct 3D Print after 20 min. Sterile Cartridge Printed Agarose Meniscus Cell Impregnated Alginate Hydrogel Multicell print

  31. Longer term: Explore design space Freeform fabrication opens a new design space. We use evolutionary computation to search this space. E.g. design machines that can move, then automatically fabricate them. Lipson & Pollack, Nature 406, 2000

  32. How will the universal fabricator affect us? • Buy product on the web and print them • No stock, shipping, and delays • New class of independent designers • Remove barriers due to resources and skills • More customizable • Unencumbered by mass production paradigm • More possible complexities • Larger design space • “New freedom to create” (Marshal Burns)

  33. Example: The online museum

  34. Example: The online museum

  35. Parallel to Computer Industry? • In the 50’s, a computer • Cost > $100,000 • Size: Refrigerator • Speed: Couple of hours per job • Operation: Trained staff, • Quality: hardware/usability problems • Today: Faster, cheaper, better, easier

  36. Exponential Growth Source: Wohlers Associates,

  37. Bootstrapping the revolution • The ubiquitous 3D printer • Kit, Under $200 • USB Operated • Open source • Software • Electronics • Mechanics • Interchangeable syringe deposition • You develop the ink and modify the design

  38. Conclusions • 3D Free-form fabrication • Create almost arbitrary 3D geometry • Greater and more flexible design space • Current challenges • SFF-compatible functional Inks • Mechanics, electronics, photonics, bio • Multi-material fabrication Collaborators: Evan Malone, Daniel Cohen, Larry Bonassar, Kian Rasa, Jonathan Wee, Yen Chen Yao, Megan Berry

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