A desktop customised 3D printer with dual extruders to produce electronic circuitry
A desktop customised 3D printer with dual extruders to produce electronic circuitry作者机构：Anglia Ruskin University CM1 1 SQ Chelmsford UK
出 版 物：《Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering》 (机械工程前沿（英文版）)
年 卷 期：2018年第13卷第4期
页 面：528-534页
核心收录：
学科分类：081702[工学-化学工艺] 08[工学] 0817[工学-化学工程与技术] 0835[工学-软件工程] 081202[工学-计算机软件与理论] 0812[工学-计算机科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）]
主 题：3D printing Arduino Uno extruder multiple materials electronic circuits customisation CFD analysis
摘 要：3D printing has opened new horizons for the manufacturing industry in general, and 3D printers have become the tools for technological advancements. There is a huge divide between the pricing of industrial and desktop 3D printers with the former being on the expensive side capable of producing excellent quality products and latter being on the low-cost side with moderate quality results. However, there is a larger room for improvements and enhancements for the desktop systems as compared to the industrial ones. In this paper, a desktop 3D printer called Prusa Mendel i2 has been modified and integrated with an additional extruder so that the system can work with dual extruders and produce bespoke electronic circuits. The communication between the two extruders has been established by making use of the In-Chip Serial Program- ming port on the Arduino Uno controlling the printer. The biggest challenge is to control the flow of electric paint （to be dispensed by the new extruder） and CFD （Computa- tional Fluid Dynamics） analysis has been carried out to ascertain the optimal conditions for proper dispensing. The final product is a customised electronic circuit with the base of plastic （from the 3D printer＇s extruder） and electronic paint （from the additional extruder） properly dispensed to create a live circuit on a plastic platform. This low-cost enhancement to a desktop 3D printer can provide a new prospect to produce multiple material parts where the additional extruder can be filled with any material that can be properly dispensed from its nozzle.
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