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Production of Multiple Material Parts Using a Desktop 3D Printer

2017; IOS Press; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3233/978-1-61499-792-4-148

2352-7528

J.B. Butt, Mebrahtu Habtom, Hassan Shirvani,

Manufacturing Process and Optimization

3D printing has amassed immense popularity over the years and the advent of low-cost desktop 3D printers is believed to have the potential to fundamentally change the manufacturing industry. In this paper, a method for the production of multiple material parts has been presented by incorporating a dry powder dispensing device to a 3D desktop printer called Mendel. The working mechanism of the 3D printer's extruder and the powder dispenser as a singular cohesive unit has been demonstrated. The paper shows how the device, dispensing solder powder, can be controlled using the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) protocol of the Arduino Uno along with the establishment of communication between the printer and the device using the ICSP (In-Chip Serial Programming) port. This addition to the low cost desktop 3D printers can offer a new paradigm in the area of 3D printing with the possibility of producing prototypes from different materials.