#mediated matter

FIBERBOTS: A framework for swarm robotic manufacturing

Wanderers: Living Mushtari; William Patrick,  Christoph Bader,  Dominik Kolb, Sunanda Sharma,  Steven Keating,  Prof. Neri Oxman. Mediated Matter in collaboration with Stratasys.

“How can we design relationships between the most primitive and the most sophisticated life forms? Can we design wearables embedded with synthetic microorganisms that can enhance and augment biological functionality? Can we design wearables that generate consumable energy when exposed to the sun? We explored these questions through the creation of Mushtari, a 3D printed wearable with 58 meters of internal fluid channels. The wearable is designed to function as a microbial factory that uses synthetic biology to convert sunlight into useful products for the wearer.”

From the top: (1 and 2) Close-in view of Mushtari filled with chemiluminescent fluid. Image: Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Williams. One piece of Mushtari filled with photosynthetic cyanobacteria. Image credit: Will Patrick. Close-in view of transparency gradient in the front piece of Mushtari. Image: Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Williams. 

Top: Keating, S. (2015) Glass 3D printing process. Bottom: Inamura, C. (2015) Caustic patterns of a 3D printed glass structure.

3D printing with Glass

In last week’s post I looked into 3D printing inspired by Biomimicry using polyamide plastic. In this week’s blog post I will be talking about 3d printing that uses glass.

The method of using glass for 3d printing was developed by a team of researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in collaboration with Mediated Matter Group.  The G3DP technique uses a dual-chamber where glass is heated in the top chamber, at 1900°F and extruded into its programmed structure. The honey-like molten glass is extruded from an alumina-zircon-silica nozzle that allows it to form consistent coils in layers.

Mediated Matter Group. (2015) GLASS.

The structures formed from this technique are very vase-like. The pieces have been paired with moving lighting which enhances their aesthetic. The way the light reflects off the glass to create these random-yet-elegant patterns are amazing. The patterns add a softness to the cold, hard glass which it is made from. The moving light from above, creates a changing waves of patterns resembling a sound equalizer.

Although the structures aren’t as complex as conventional plastic 3D printing, it is an amazing development into 3D printing. By using other materials that are not Nylon plastic, we could discover ways of using organic material for production which would be much more sustainable. However, there is a disadvantage of 3D printing. Due to the fact that 3D printing works in layers, the process is very time consuming which would not be ideal for mass production. We are still in the early stages of 3D printing and there are teams trying to reduce production time. Hopefully in the future 3D printing will be a lot cheaper, less time consuming and also more sustainable.

References:

Dezeen. (2015). Neri Oxman's new glass printing technique could lead to 3D-printed glass building facades. Available: http://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/26/neri-oxman-3d-printing-transparent-glass-sculptural-structures-mediated-matter-mit-media-lab/. (Accessed: 14 January 2016).

Inamura, C. (2015) Caustic patterns of a 3D printed glass structure. Available at: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/glass-1.jpg (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Keating, S. (2015) Glass 3D printing process. Available at: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/glass-3.jpg (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Mediated Matter Group (2015) GLASS. Available at: https://vimeo.com/136764796 (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

MIT Media Lab (2015) Mediated Matter. Available at: http://matter.media.mit.edu/ (Accessed: 3 December 2015).

Sierzputowski, K. (2015). Watch Molten Glass 3D-Printed From a Kiln at 1900 Degrees. Available: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/3d-printed-glass/. (Accessed: 5 December 2015).

تصميم #طابعة ثلاثية الأبعاد " #G3DP " تعمل بالزجاج المصهور

قام فريق باحثين في ” Mediated Matter” ومختبر الزجاج في معهد ماساتشوستس التكنولوجي ومعهد “ويس” بتصميم طابعة ثلاثية الأبعاد تطبع بالزجاج المصهور.   يذكر أن الطابعات ثلاثية الأبعاد الحديثة تستخدم المواد البلاستيكية المصهورة. لكن الطباعة بالزجاج المصهور تعتبر ابتكارا واختراقا حقيقيا في مجال الطباعة ثلاثية الأبعاد.   وأطلق العلماء على الطابعة ثلاثية الأبعاد الجديدة تسمية” G3DP “. ويقوم عملها على مبادئ…

GLASS by Mediated Matter

Silk Pavillion, Mediated Matter Group, 2013,