I hope everyone is aware of the 3D Printing technology at MIT and the work
Paul Calvert has done, which also has a biomimetic bent to it.
- Hugh Bruck
_____________________________________________________________
Dr. Hugh Alan Bruck
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
phone: 301-405-8711
fax: 301-314-9477
web site: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~bruck
"The future is not what it used to be."
-----Original Message-----
From: Engineers and biologists mechanical design list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of William Megill
Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 9:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Squirting circuits cont.
Hi!
There is some good work being done by several labs on ink-jet printing
conducting polymers onto paper & fabric - no reason why an inkjet type
nozzle couldn't be incorporated into an RPM. There's an additional
advantage in incorporating CP technology into the RepRap, in that they can
also be used as capacitors/batteries, semi-conductors, resistors, solar
cells, and chemosensors, by changing how they're layered and/or doped. One
issue that might need considering, though, is that some of the solvents
used in conducting polymer synthesis will dissolve the ABS plastic used by
some RPM's. This is definitely the case for propylene carbonate. Some of
the newer solvents seem to be a lot less reactive, so the problem may now
have gone away. Definitely worth looking into - if we get some time later
this spring, we'll have a go at it here in Bath.
Cheers,
William
______________________
William Megill, PhD
Lecturer in Biomimetics
Mech Eng, U Bath, UK
[log in to unmask]
--On 17 April 2005 00:00 +0100 Automatic digest processor
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> There is one message totalling 30 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. Squirting circuits cont.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:20:01 +1200
> From: Vik Olliver <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Squirting circuits cont.
>
> If a syringe is used, it would be possible to fill small pits where
> components are to be placed, to improve conductivity. This would not
> need any heating equipment, but would vastly increase the area of
> contact with the component leg and so lower resistance.
>
> I believe this may be a promising route. Currently conductive paints are
> very expensive, but advances in conductive polymer research may well
> produce a high-conductivity elastomer as a replacement. Even so, the
> additional material cost may initially increase the ease of replication
> and proliferation of a RepRap.
>
> Would it be too hard to try it as a material for deposition in the same
> way that Dr. Adrian Bowyer is currently deploying Wood's Metal? I'm
> sorry to ask; I do not yet have timely, affordable access to a suitable
> FDM machine or I'd do it myself.
>
> Vik :v)
> --
> Vik Olliver <[log in to unmask]>
> Diamond Age Solutions Ltd.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of BIOMIMETICS Digest - 15 Apr 2005 to 16 Apr 2005 (#2005-58)
> *****************************************************************
--On 17 April 2005 00:00 +0100 Automatic digest processor
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> There is one message totalling 30 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. Squirting circuits cont.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:20:01 +1200
> From: Vik Olliver <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Squirting circuits cont.
>
> If a syringe is used, it would be possible to fill small pits where
> components are to be placed, to improve conductivity. This would not
> need any heating equipment, but would vastly increase the area of
> contact with the component leg and so lower resistance.
>
> I believe this may be a promising route. Currently conductive paints are
> very expensive, but advances in conductive polymer research may well
> produce a high-conductivity elastomer as a replacement. Even so, the
> additional material cost may initially increase the ease of replication
> and proliferation of a RepRap.
>
> Would it be too hard to try it as a material for deposition in the same
> way that Dr. Adrian Bowyer is currently deploying Wood's Metal? I'm
> sorry to ask; I do not yet have timely, affordable access to a suitable
> FDM machine or I'd do it myself.
>
> Vik :v)
> --
> Vik Olliver <[log in to unmask]>
> Diamond Age Solutions Ltd.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of BIOMIMETICS Digest - 15 Apr 2005 to 16 Apr 2005 (#2005-58)
> *****************************************************************
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