©Mark Ollig
As a youngster, I remember walking downtown to the Dueber’s store on Main Avenue in Winsted, and buying a toy glider airplane made from balsa wood.
Back then (the 1960s), an airplane with a 12-inch wingspan, landing gear, and a rubberband-powered propeller cost a little more than $1 – or two weeks’ worth of allowance.
Some of us will remember carefully unpacking the parts from the plastic wrapper and cautiously assembling the thin balsa wood pieces of the canopy, rudder, wing, and stabilizer onto an approximately 8-inch long, square wooden dowel.
A plastic propeller and a landing gear consisting of two small plastic wheels spaced apart with a framed metal wire fastened to the front end section were included with the rubberband-powered airplane models.
The release of energy from a wound-up rubber band attached from the propeller to a small metal hook by the tail, powered the plane through the air. The tension from the rubber band is not released until we are ready for take-off.
I remember winding the propeller to put tension knots in the rubber band – always turn it clockwise.
Placing the plane upon a level surface, I released the tension on the rubber band. This, of course, caused the airplane to quickly race forward and take off into the wild blue yonder.
On a good day, a rubberband-powered airplane would fly about 150 feet – and hopefully, safely land on the ground without breaking any of the fragile balsa wood pieces.
So much for today’s nostalgia – let’s move ahead in time to today’s column topic.
Soon, your 3D printer will not just be printing out a plastic model plane; it will also be adding the electronic circuitry.
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced a new printing method using filaments with embedded electronics to merge with 3D printed structures, objects, and devices.
“We established a fast, multiscale approach to print a diverse set of designable multi-material filament-based inks to create complex three-dimensional hierarchical functional systems,” read part of the MIT technical paper published in Nature Communications.
MIT researchers developed a special nozzle to attach on a conventional 3D printer, along with a new, unique fiber array filament polymer.
The fiber array filament will replace the single-filament polymers, which usually melt before being expelled through a standard 3D printer nozzle.
Their new filament polymer consists of a complex internal multiple fiber structure using various materials arranged in a precise configuration. The entire filament is coated with a polymer cladding.
An array of fibers within the filament contain precisely-placed electronic components; as per their planned design for functionality. Flashing lights in one 3D-created device would signal communication to fibers with light sensors. The associated electronics would receive and process any data.
The new nozzle operates at a lower temperature and pulls the new filament through it faster, allowing only partial melting of the outer filament layer. The internal portion of the filament containing the electronic circuitry stays cool, thus allowing the functions for the electronics to be unaffected.
The melted filament is pliable enough to be shaped and adhered into the structure being 3D printed.
Inside the internal material of the filament, thin, electric current-conducting metal wiring provides the path to power the semiconductors and other electronic components, controlling various device functions within the 3D printed device.
The filament’s internal polymer material acts as an insulator, which prevents the wiring from coming into contact with each other.
With a standard 3D printer, researchers at MIT created a model plane using its printer nozzle and unique filament containing eight different materials.
Before MIT’s demonstration of their light-flashing 3D model plane, Gabriel Loke, MIT doctoral student wrote, “A [3D] printer capable of depositing metals, semiconductors, and polymers in a single platform still did not exist, because printing each of these materials requires different hardware and techniques.”
The plastic, blue model airplane included flashing lights and electronic components, added using MIT’s new 3D printing method.
MIT sees its unique 3D nozzle printing process and embedded filament fiber technology used in robotics, communications, biomedical implant devices, and other designs containing sensors and electronics in the future.
Using this new method to 3D print working – rather than static – prototype devices are also seen as a valuable benefit.
The new MIT process is also said to be three times faster than current 3D structure fabricating methods.
We certainly have come a long way from the days of balsa wood and rubberband-powered toy airplanes; though, I did have a lot of fun flying them.
As a youngster, I remember walking downtown to the Dueber’s store on Main Avenue in Winsted, and buying a toy glider airplane made from balsa wood.
Back then (the 1960s), an airplane with a 12-inch wingspan, landing gear, and a rubberband-powered propeller cost a little more than $1 – or two weeks’ worth of allowance.
Some of us will remember carefully unpacking the parts from the plastic wrapper and cautiously assembling the thin balsa wood pieces of the canopy, rudder, wing, and stabilizer onto an approximately 8-inch long, square wooden dowel.
A plastic propeller and a landing gear consisting of two small plastic wheels spaced apart with a framed metal wire fastened to the front end section were included with the rubberband-powered airplane models.
The release of energy from a wound-up rubber band attached from the propeller to a small metal hook by the tail, powered the plane through the air. The tension from the rubber band is not released until we are ready for take-off.
I remember winding the propeller to put tension knots in the rubber band – always turn it clockwise.
Placing the plane upon a level surface, I released the tension on the rubber band. This, of course, caused the airplane to quickly race forward and take off into the wild blue yonder.
On a good day, a rubberband-powered airplane would fly about 150 feet – and hopefully, safely land on the ground without breaking any of the fragile balsa wood pieces.
So much for today’s nostalgia – let’s move ahead in time to today’s column topic.
Soon, your 3D printer will not just be printing out a plastic model plane; it will also be adding the electronic circuitry.
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced a new printing method using filaments with embedded electronics to merge with 3D printed structures, objects, and devices.
“We established a fast, multiscale approach to print a diverse set of designable multi-material filament-based inks to create complex three-dimensional hierarchical functional systems,” read part of the MIT technical paper published in Nature Communications.
MIT researchers developed a special nozzle to attach on a conventional 3D printer, along with a new, unique fiber array filament polymer.
The fiber array filament will replace the single-filament polymers, which usually melt before being expelled through a standard 3D printer nozzle.
Their new filament polymer consists of a complex internal multiple fiber structure using various materials arranged in a precise configuration. The entire filament is coated with a polymer cladding.
An array of fibers within the filament contain precisely-placed electronic components; as per their planned design for functionality. Flashing lights in one 3D-created device would signal communication to fibers with light sensors. The associated electronics would receive and process any data.
The new nozzle operates at a lower temperature and pulls the new filament through it faster, allowing only partial melting of the outer filament layer. The internal portion of the filament containing the electronic circuitry stays cool, thus allowing the functions for the electronics to be unaffected.
The melted filament is pliable enough to be shaped and adhered into the structure being 3D printed.
Inside the internal material of the filament, thin, electric current-conducting metal wiring provides the path to power the semiconductors and other electronic components, controlling various device functions within the 3D printed device.
The filament’s internal polymer material acts as an insulator, which prevents the wiring from coming into contact with each other.
With a standard 3D printer, researchers at MIT created a model plane using its printer nozzle and unique filament containing eight different materials.
Before MIT’s demonstration of their light-flashing 3D model plane, Gabriel Loke, MIT doctoral student wrote, “A [3D] printer capable of depositing metals, semiconductors, and polymers in a single platform still did not exist, because printing each of these materials requires different hardware and techniques.”
The plastic, blue model airplane included flashing lights and electronic components, added using MIT’s new 3D printing method.
MIT sees its unique 3D nozzle printing process and embedded filament fiber technology used in robotics, communications, biomedical implant devices, and other designs containing sensors and electronics in the future.
Using this new method to 3D print working – rather than static – prototype devices are also seen as a valuable benefit.
The new MIT process is also said to be three times faster than current 3D structure fabricating methods.
We certainly have come a long way from the days of balsa wood and rubberband-powered toy airplanes; though, I did have a lot of fun flying them.
 |
| A
“genuine balsa wood” airplane I assembled on Monday. The model plane is a Guillow’s Jet-Stream. It was manufactured in Wakefield, MA. |
