MIT 3D Prints Electric Motor in 3 Hours
MIT researchers produced a fully functional electric motor via 3D printing in just three hours, overcoming traditional 3D printer challenges. The breakthrough signals future possibilities for home-based makers to rapidly manufacture components or small appliances as desktop 3D printer technology advances. CNET separately reported on practical home uses of 3D printing, including custom Dyson vacuum tools and home accessories.
- The research was led by Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a principal research scientist in MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories. - To achieve this, the MIT team had to build their own multi-material 3D-printing platform, retrofitting an existing printer with four different extrusion tools to handle various material forms like filaments, pellets, and inks. - The motor was printed using five distinct materials: a dielectric, an electrically conductive material, a soft magnetic material, a hard magnetic material, and a flexible material. - The only post-processing step required was magnetizing the hard magnetic materials after the printing was complete. - The total cost of the materials used to print the motor is estimated to be around 50 cents per device. - In testing, the 3D-printed linear motor was able to generate several times more actuation force than some common linear engines that depend on more complex hydraulic amplifiers. - This rapid prototyping method drastically reduces manufacturing time for custom or replacement motors from potentially weeks or months for a traditionally made prototype to just a single day. - The specific device created was a linear motor, a type of motor used in applications such as pick-and-place robotics, optical systems, and baggage conveyors.
