Additive assembly of digital materials

Abstract

This thesis develops the use of additive assembly of press-fit digital materials as a new rapid-prototyping process. Digital materials consist of a finite set of parts that have discrete connections and occupy discrete space. Part geometries were designed and fabricated at different scales from different materials, including hierarchical voxels which connect across different scales. All parts were designed to be vertically assembled with top and bottom connections. Digital materials are discussed as a new way for building physically reconfigurable, multi-material 3D structures. The parts were designed with press-fit connectors to build reversible assemblies to take full advantage of reuse and recycling. This document starts by describing some current technologies in the fields of rapid-prototyping and personal fabrication. The concept for a press-fit digital materials is defined and explained. Many part designs are documented, including conductor and insulator parts for SOIC-pitch 3D circuits and hierarchical assemblies. This thesis concludes with the design and concept for assembly machine to automate building functional digital materials.