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Category: 3D printing

Novel 3D nanofabrication techniques enable miniaturized robots

In the 1980s when micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) were first created, computer engineers were excited by the idea that these new devices that combine electrical and mechanical components at the microscale could be used to build miniature robots.

The idea of shrinking robotic mechanisms to such tiny sizes was particularly exciting given the potential to achieve exceptional performance in metrics such as speed and precision by leveraging a robot’s smaller size and mass. But making robots at smaller scales is easier said than done due to limitations in microscale 3D manufacturing.

Nearly 50 years later, Ph.D. students Steven Man and Sukjun Kim, working with Mechanical Engineering Professor Sarah Bergbreiter, have developed a 3D to build tiny Delta robots called microDeltas. Delta robots at larger scales (typically two to four feet in height) are used for picking, placing, and sorting tasks in manufacturing, packaging, and electronics assembly. The much smaller microDeltas have the potential for real-world applications in micromanipulation, micro assembly, minimally invasive surgeries, and wearable haptic devices.

Spray 3D concrete printing simulator boosts strength and design

Concrete 3D printing reduces both time and cost by eliminating traditional formwork, the temporary mold for casting. Yet most of today’s systems rely on extrusion-based methods, which deposit material very close to a nozzle layer by layer. This makes it impossible to print around reinforcement bars (rebars) without risk of collision, limiting both design flexibility and structural integrity of builds.

Kenji Shimada and researchers in his Carnegie Mellon University’s Computational Engineering and Robotics Laboratory (CERLAB), are breaking through that limitation with a new simulation tool for spray-based concrete 3D .

“Spray-based concrete 3D printing is a new process with complicated physical phenomena,” said Shimada, a professor of mechanical engineering. “In this method, a modified shotcrete mixture is sprayed from a nozzle to build up on a surface, even around rebar.”

3D-object-making machine forgoes printing for knitting

If you find 3D printers to be just a little too coldly futuristic, this contraption might be more to your liking. Scientists from Cornell University have created a machine that knits solid 3D objects out of nice old-timey conventional yarn.

The prototype device is made mainly of 3D-printed components, and incorporates a bed of knitting needles arranged in a 6 × 6 block. A motorized knitting head dispenses yarn to any of those needles in sequence, as determined by a program on a computer that’s controlling it.

Each of the needles in turn consists of a 3D-printed symmetrical double hook connected to a brass support tube. Because the front and rear sections of the hook move independently, it’s possible for the device to either knit or purl, depending on which section of the hook picks up the first loop of yarn.

Microgravity Muscle Printing Paves Way for Space Biomanufacturing

The study notes in its conclusions, “We have presented G-FLight printing as an effective tool for the rapid gravity-independent fabrication of aligned tissues, focusing on muscle tissue as an application.”

Can muscle tissue be 3D-printed in outer space to improve astronaut health? This is what a recent study published in Advanced Science hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated how human tissue can be manufactured in space. This study has the potential to help scientists, researchers, and the public better understand new methods for not only aiding in long-term space travel but also combating diseases on Earth.

For the study, the researchers used a series of parabolic flights to test G-FLight (Gravity-independent Filamented Light), which is a novel 3D printing biomanufacturing system capable of producing muscle cells and fibers in a matter of seconds. The purpose of the parabolic flights was to simulate microgravity, which is produced by the airplane sharply diving after gradually rising in altitude. The goal of the study was to ascertain if G-Flight could successfully 3D-print muscle fibers under microgravity conditions. In the end, the researchers found that G-FLight successfully produced muscle fibers under microgravity conditions during parabolic flights.

To fight cybercrime, student unravels the layers of 3D printing

To most people, a 3D printer is a cool piece of technology that can make toys, tools or parts in minutes. But for Hala Ali, it can be a partner in crime, and the doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University earned national honors recently for her work exploring one of the fastest-growing frontiers in cybercrime.

Ali, a computer science student in the College of Engineering, won best paper at this summer’s 25th annual Digital Forensics Research Conference in Chicago. The paper, “Leveraging Memory Forensics to Investigate and Detect Illegal 3D Printing Activities,” reflects her research into how digital forensics can help investigators uncover whether a 3D printer was used to create weapons or other illegal objects.

“3D printing is a process of creating a physical object from a by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created,” Ali said.

Engineers create bioelectronic hydrogels to monitor activity in the body

Wearable or implantable devices to monitor biological activities, such as heart rate, are useful, but they are typically made of metals, silicon, plastic and glass and must be surgically implanted. A research team in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is developing bioelectronic hydrogels that could one day replace existing devices and have much more flexibility.

Alexandra Rutz, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Anna Goestenkors, a fifth-year doctoral student in Rutz’s lab, created novel granular hydrogels. They are made of microparticles that could be injected into the body, spread over tissues or used to encapsulate cells and tissue and also to monitor and stimulate biological activity. Results of their research were published Oct. 8 in the journal Small.

The microparticles are spherical hydrogels made from the conducting polymer known as PEDOT: PSS. When packed tightly, they are similar to wet sand or paste: They hold as a solid with micropores, but they can also be 3D printed or spread into different shapes while maintaining their structure or redistributed into individual microparticles when placed in liquid.

AI-guided drones use 3D printing to build structures in hard-to-reach places

Disaster has just struck, roads are inaccessible, and people need shelter now. Rather than wait days for a rescue team, a fleet of AI-guided drones takes flight carrying materials and the ability to build shelters, reinforce infrastructure, and construct bridges to reconnect people with safety.

It sounds like , but new research from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering combines drones, additive manufacturing, and to rethink the future of aerial construction.

Aerial (AM)—think flying 3D printers, has been fascinating researchers for years, but the natural instability of a drone in flight makes traditional layer-by-layer fabrication nearly impossible. To overcome this, Amir Barati Farimani, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has equipped drones with magnetic blocks to allow for precise pick-and-place assembly and a large language model (LLM) that can translate high-level design goals like “build a bridge” into executable plans.

Secret QR codes and hidden warnings: 3D printing technique allows precise control of material properties, point by point

3D printing is extremely practical when you want to produce small quantities of customized components. However, this technology has always had one major problem: 3D printers can only process a single material at a time. Until now, objects with different material properties in different areas could only be 3D-printed at great expense, if at all.

Researchers at TU Wien have now developed methods for giving a 3D-printed object not only the desired shape, but also the desired material properties, point by point.

The versatility of this technology has been demonstrated in several applications: for example, it is possible to print an invisible QR code that only becomes visible at certain temperatures.

3D-printed microrobots adapt to diverse environments with modular design

Microrobots, small robotic systems that are less than 1 centimeter (cm) in size, could tackle some real-world tasks that cannot be completed by bigger robots. For instance, they could be used to monitor confined spaces and remote natural environments, to deliver drugs or to diagnose diseases or other medical conditions.

Researchers at Seoul National University recently introduced new modular and durable microrobots that can adapt to their surroundings, effectively navigating a range of environments. These , introduced in a paper published in Advanced Materials, can be fabricated using 3D .

“Microrobots, with their insect-like size, are expected to make contributions in fields where conventional robots have struggled to operate,” Won Jun Song, first author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “However, most microrobots developed to date have been highly specialized, tailored for very specific purposes, making them difficult to deploy across diverse environments and applications. Our goal was to present a new approach toward creating general-purpose microrobots.”

3D-printed metamaterials harness complex geometry to dampen mechanical vibrations

In science and engineering, it’s unusual for innovation to come in one fell swoop. It’s more often a painstaking plod through which the extraordinary gradually becomes ordinary.

But we may be at an inflection point along that path when it comes to engineered structures whose are unlike anything seen before in nature, also known as mechanical metamaterials. A team led by researchers at the University of Michigan and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has shown how to 3D print intricate tubes that can use their to stymie vibrations.

Such structures could be useful in a variety of applications where people want to dampen vibrations, including transportation, civil engineering and more. The team’s new study, published in the journal Physical Review Applied, builds on decades of theoretical and computational research to create structures that passively impede vibrations trying to move from one end to the other.

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