3D Printer Customization
2017 - 2018 at Draper
The goal of this project was to develop new methods for fabricating electromechanical assemblies. Traditionally, circuit boards and mechanical housings are fabricated separately, then assembled by hand or machine. Our goal was to integrate all these steps into one machine. To accomplish this, we used fused deposition modeling (FDM) to 3D print bulk plastic material, a paste extruder to print large wires, an aerosol printer to make signal traces, and a pick-and-place mechanism to add ICs and passives. To demonstrate the new capabilities, we printed a custom battery module for a commercially available walkie-talkie.
My Role
My responsibility was to modify stock 3D printing platforms to achieve the printing of wires in conjunction with the bulk plastic material. To accomplish this, I designed a custom paste extruder module, then created a computer program that modified G-code from an open-source slicing program to command the new module. I also assisted in the development of hardware for the aerosol printing and pick-and-place systems.
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