The Mataerial printer squirts quick-drying polymers from a nozzle, like it was frosting a cake, creating a new model for 3-D printing that doesn’t require layers and supports to make a new object.
While many creators look at 3-D printing as a technology full of endless potential, designers Petr Novikov and Saša Joki? saw something with room for improvement.
“There is a variety of different 3-D printing types […] and no matter how they work, they all work with layers,” explains Novikov. Machines extrude plastic layer by layer until the desired shape slowly accrues. “We thought that this is strange because layers are not very efficient”: they require the presence of a support structure to prop up an object as it’s printed, which restricts the printing process to horizontal surfaces. Plus the technique can increase the printing time, the use of materials, and the risk of damaging an object when removing it from its support structure.
Novikov and Joki?, who were studying at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona last fall, wondered about printing with fibers instead of layers. Since then, they’ve worked to research, design, and patent a new method for 3-D printing called Mataerial, which squeezes polymers from a nozzle in a way that’s reminiscent of how bakers squeeze icing from a tube to frost a cake.
“The material that comes out of the nozzle is still kind of viscous–It’s not a liquid already but its not a solid material, so what we wanted to do is make it solid the same exact moment it comes out of the nozzle,” Novikov says. “And that’s the hardest part. Because if it solidifies before it comes out of the nozzle, then its going to make a clog… but if it solidifies after it leaves the nozzle, than its going to be weak and fall down.”
The secret was finding two liquid polymers that, when mixed, quickly harden. They’re calling the resulting method “Anti-Gravity Object Modeling,” since the material’s just-in-time solidification eschews the need for any sort of support structure, turning hard in mid-air.
The new method is exciting for a number of reasons.
The Latest Bing News on:
Anti-Gravity 3-D Printer
- I’ve been waiting for a 3D printer like the Anycubic Kobra 3 Comboon April 28, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Anycubic's new 3D printer solves a lot of problems for beginners, and has new exclusive Pantone filament colours.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Anti-Gravity 3-D Printer
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Anti-Gravity 3-D Printer” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
3-D printing
- 3 3D Printing Stocks With the Potential to Make You an Overnight Millionaireon April 30, 2024 at 4:07 am
Not too long ago, analysts and early adopters touted the technology of 3D printing as the future of manufacturing. Then came market corrections and concerns surrounding the feasibility of long-term ...
- Prodways & SINTX announce deep technical ceramic 3D printing partnershipon April 30, 2024 at 12:44 am
Advanced technical ceramic company SINTX Technologies has entered into a technical partnership and ceramic slurry supply agreement with Prodways.
- University of Maine tops itself for world's largest 3D printeron April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm
ORONO, Maine — The world's largest 3D printer has created a house that can cut construction time and labor. An even larger printer unveiled last Tuesday may one day create entire neighborhoods. The ...
- Industry Voices: Is Micro-3D Printing the Future for Tiny Parts?on April 29, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Additive manufacturing is becoming an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional micro-manufacturing methods such as molding.
- SINTX AND PRODWAYS AGREE ON CERAMIC SLURRY SUPPLY AND 3D PRINTING AGREEMENTon April 29, 2024 at 6:58 am
SINTX was an early pioneer of the ceramic 3D printing industry, successfully printing components beginning in 1998. The company invested in R&D for more than a decade - successfully growing its ...
- World's largest 3D printer can print a house in under 80 hourson April 26, 2024 at 10:56 am
The University of Maine just revealed the world’s largest 3D printer, and it is an absolute beast. The printer, which the university named Factory of … The post World’s largest 3D printer can print a ...
- Makers of the world’s largest 3D printer just beat their own recordon April 26, 2024 at 10:43 am
After a five-year reign, the world’s largest 3D printer located at the University of Maine has been usurped—by a newer, larger 3D printer developed at the same school.
- Is Your Old 3D Printer Obsolete? Increasing Frustration with Outdated Modelson April 26, 2024 at 8:50 am
The speed advantage is more dramatic than you might expect. In our lab we recently replaced three Prusa MK3S 3D printers with three Bambu Lab units. The Bambu Lab machines are about 5X faster than the ...
- 3DPFIX: A New AI Troubleshooting System Developed to Simplify 3D Printing for Noviceson April 26, 2024 at 8:46 am
Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of ...
- This is the world's largest 3D printer: The University of Maine breaks its own recordon April 26, 2024 at 8:42 am
Forward-looking: The University of Maine has broken its own 2019 Guinness World Record with a next-gen polymer 3D printer that is four times the size of its predecessor. Dubbed Factory of the Future 1 ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
3-D printing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”3-D printing” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]