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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Autonomous Material Refill For Swarm 3d Printing, William C. Jones
Autonomous Material Refill For Swarm 3d Printing, William C. Jones
Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
3D printing currently offers robust and cheap rapid prototyping solutions. While standard 3D printing remains at the periphery of mass production, the technology serves as a starting point for the development of swarm manufacturing. Since swarm manufacturing is predicated upon autonomy, swarm technology companies such as AMBOTS are seeking to minimize human involvement in the swarm’s functions. At present, the 3D printing swarm consists of the printers, a transporter which can take them between job sites, and the floor tiles which provide power and support the build surfaces. To add to this ecosystem, this project is focused on the design …
Exploring Convergence Of Snake Skin-Inspired Texture Designs And Additive Manufacturing For Mechanical Traction, Catherine Sue Tiner
Exploring Convergence Of Snake Skin-Inspired Texture Designs And Additive Manufacturing For Mechanical Traction, Catherine Sue Tiner
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This research focuses on the understanding, development, and additive manufacture of a 3D printed snake skin-inspired texture pattern. The design functionalities of snake skin were determined through the study of the snake species Python Regius otherwise known as the ball python. Each scale of a snake has hierarchical texture with hexagonal macro-patterns aligned on the ventral surface of the skin with overriding anisotropic micro textured patterns such as denticulations and fibrils. Using a laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, 420 stainless steel samples were 3D printed which closely resemble the above described directional texture of natural snake skin. This printed surface …
3d Printing A Microfluidic Chip Capable Of Droplet Emulsion Using Ninjaflex Filament, Robert Andrews
3d Printing A Microfluidic Chip Capable Of Droplet Emulsion Using Ninjaflex Filament, Robert Andrews
Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
This paper details an investigation into methods and designs of 3D printing a microfluidic system capable of droplet emulsion using NinjaFlex filament. The specific field in which this paper’s experiment is rooted is dubbed “BioMEMS,” short for bio microelectromechanical systems. One prominent research area in BioMEMS is developing a “lab on a chip.” Essentially, the goal is to miniaturize common lab processes to the micro scale, rendering it possible to include these processes in a small chip. Reducing necessary sample sizes, shortening the reaction times of lab processes, and increasing mobility of lab processes can all be realized through microfluidic …
3d Printed Pcu/Uhmwpe Polymeric Blends For Artificial Knee Meniscus, Raissa Araujo Borges
3d Printed Pcu/Uhmwpe Polymeric Blends For Artificial Knee Meniscus, Raissa Araujo Borges
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
3D printing was used to fabricate porous artificial knee meniscus material from biocompatible polymeric blends of polycarbonate-urethane (PCU) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) to enable “weep” lubrication that mimics the native meniscus. 3D printed and molded pure PCU, as well as molded PCU and UHMWPE, were used for comparison. Preliminary printing was done to evaluate the impact of process parameters on the results. The samples were subject to a variety of rotational oscillating friction and wear tests under simulated body fluid and loading conditions to replicate the natural motion of the knee. Results show that 3D printed PCU samples yielded a …