If it's possible to 3D print blood vessels, robots, and guns, then why shouldn't you be able to 3D print your own personal electronics? Well, now you can -- in the lab at least.
University of Warwick researchers have developed a conductive plastic composite material that can be used with unmodified, low-cost, hobbyist 3D printers to make functional electronic devices. The devices can even be custom-designed, such as tailoring a game controller to fit the shape of a particular user's hand.
The team, headed by Simon Leigh of the university's School of Engineering, says the inexpensive material, called "carbomorph," makes it possible to print out electronic tracks and sensors as part of a 3D-printed structure.
To date, the researchers have used the material to print objects with embedded flex sensors, such as a mug that can sense how full it is, or those with touch-sensitive buttons, such as a working computer game controller. The results were published in an article in the open-access journal PLOS One.
A conductive thermoplastic can be used with low-cost, hobbyist 3D printers to produce complete, customized electronic devices, such as this computer game controller.
(Source: University of Warwick)
The printer can create touch-sensitive areas in the structure that can be connected to a simple, printed circuit board.
The computer game controller was printed using a Bits from Bytes BFB3000, Leigh told Design News in an email. "It's designed to interface with an Arduino board, then it can be plugged into a PC and used to play any game on your PC," he wrote. "The idea behind it is that you could in theory customize the layout of the controller hardware to your own specification."
Leigh and his team envision the technology being used to 3D print functioning electronic devices, making those devices more individualized. This could, he says, reduce electronic waste by customizing products to make them closer to what users want, and fitting their unique needs. Another application could be embedding sensors in products and monitoring how people use them, so designers could better understand how people tactilely interact with products.
The most immediate, short-term use Leigh envisions is giving the next generation of young engineers the hands-on experience of designing and producing electronic products in the classroom with advanced manufacturing technology like 3D printing. According to Leigh, existing open-source electronics and programming libraries can be used for monitoring the printed sensors.
One of the biggest advantages to 3D printing electronics is the fact that sockets for connecting the devices to equipment, such as interface electronics, could be printed out, rather than using conductive glues or paints. That's the research team's next step: to print more complex structures and electronic components, including the wires and cables that connect the 3D printed devices to computers.
Cadman, the "Reply" button means "reply to this poster". So adding a function won't change anything. I agree it would be nice if the poster's name you're replying to automatically shows up in your reply post. I think adding it manually just takes a little getting used to.
mrdon, I think what my fear is that it might get so easy to do that kids might think they don't need the math to do it. Why learn that when the pc does it for me......I can still do math even though we had calculators. Remains to be seen I suppose.
mrdon, on the other hand....after I thought about it....it would be beneficial to come into the field with experience with any 3D printing and modeling.
mrdon, here is another thought on the subject. I really don't like this one either. It used to be, to do 3D modeling and such you had to study and learn it....and it wasn't exactly easy. I see with all of this 3D printing..they are making it so easy that anyone can do it. There are still needs for 3D modeling outside of this area, I just hope people remember that. It's an iffy thing with me.
mrdon, I don't know...it's getting pretty crazy what they can do. I just saw a show where they 3D printed a house!! I think it was the walls, but it was amazing. This has come so far in say the last 3 years or so, I can't imagine 10 years from now.
Ann...I know. Sorry, it was kind of a rant...lol It would make it better though. I doubt it would take that much code either..:) It isn't the fact of writing a name, it is just that it would be tagged. Anyway...:)
Thanks, Cadman, but I'm not in charge of the software for these boards. I suspect that would take a fair amount of recoding. Anyway, I don't mind writing someone's name at the beginning of my reply.
Cadman-LT, I'm just wondering what great innovations and applications will be developed this year for 3D-printers. I had a discussion with my Control Systems class last Friday and explained that manufacturing is slowly coming back and 3D printing is the next evolution in this technology movement. Showed a Makerbot Replicator 2 video to connect the dots. They thought the video was pretty awesome.http://www.makerbot.com/
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