Water-based Engineering & Fabrication: Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing of Biomaterials
Name
water-based engineering.pdf
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3.72 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2c7e0df42f93529de8f973c6b4556b9e
Author(s)
Mogas-Soldevila, Laia
Oxman, Neri
Date Issued
June 2015
Journal
MRS Proceedings
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Citation
Mogas-Soldevila, Laia, and Neri Oxman. “Water-Based Engineering & Fabrication: Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing of Biomaterials.” MRS Proceedings 1800 (2015). © 2015 Cambridge University Press
Version
Final published version
Abstract
In nature, water assembles basic molecules into complex multi-functional structures with nano-to-macro property variation. Such processes generally consume low amounts of energy, produce little to no waste, and take advantage of ambient conditions. In contrast digital manufacturing platforms are generally characterized as uni-functional, wasteful, fuel-based and often toxic. In this paper we explore the role of water in biological construction and propose an enabling technology modeled after these findings. We present a water-based fabrication platform tailored for 3-D printing of water-based composites and regenerated biomaterials such as chitosan, cellulose or sodium alginate for the construction of highly sustainable products and building components. We demonstrate that water-based fabrication of biological materials can be used to tune mechanical, chemical and optical properties of aqueous material composites. The platform consists of a multi-nozzle extrusion system attached to a multi-axis robotic arm designed to additively fabricate extrusion-compatible gels with graded properties. Applications of the composites include small and medium-scale recyclable objects, as well as temporary largescale architectural structures.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2015.659
