I-Corps: Resin mini-extruder for additive manufacturing

I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力包括提供更低的运营成本，更广泛的材料种类，以及比目前使用的熔融沉积建模（FDM）增材制造工艺更快的速度。随着增材制造从原型工具向制造解决方案的转变，对快速、廉价和动态的3D打印解决方案的需求将继续增长。该树脂微型挤出机能够与现有的3D打印机机电系统集成，并将原料塑料颗粒（树脂）直接加工成最终部件，而不像现有的FDM技术需要长丝原料。原料颗粒塑料的成本通常是可比长丝的十分之一到百分之一，这使得每次打印的成本大大降低。此外，提出的解决方案能够打印各种现有挤出机难以打印的塑料，包括热塑性弹性体和聚合物复合材料。与现有的FDM技术相比，树脂迷你挤出机的生产速度要快得多，这将实现设计原型和生产部件的高周转率。这个I-Corps项目是基于先前nsf资助的研究，涉及仿生弹性流体系统的设计框架。这项研究启发了一种制造弹性流体驱动器的新技术的发明，这构成了I-Corps项目的基础。用于增材制造的树脂微型挤出机是一种螺杆驱动挤出系统，它包括一种新型的螺杆驱动挤出机和动态控制系统。目的是在FDM增材制造过程中使用现有的3D打印机机电系统来实现挤出机。树脂微型挤出机的发明是由于需要打印现有FDM技术无法加工的材料，即热塑性弹性体。这个I-Corps项目的一个目标是确定客户是否需要FDM的更广泛的材料种类，如果是，哪种材料和复合材料是首选。I-Corps流程还将用于确定客户对其他技术优势的重视程度，包括在特定应用中，每次打印成本和打印速度。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project involves providing significantly lower operating costs, broader material variety, and faster speeds than currently available with the fused-deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing process. As additive manufacturing transitions from a prototyping tool to manufacturing solution, the demand for fast, inexpensive, and dynamic 3D printing solutions will continue to grow. The Resin Mini-Extruder is capable of integrating with existing 3D printer electro-mechanical systems and processing raw plastic pellets (resin) directly into a final part, unlike existing FDM technologies that require a filament feedstock. Raw pelletized plastics are typically a tenth to hundredth the cost of comparable filaments, which allow for significantly lower costs per print. In addition, the proposed solution is capable of printing a wide variety of plastics that are very difficult to print with existing extruders, including thermoplastic elastomers and polymer composites. The Resin Mini-Extruder is capable of significantly faster production than existing FDM technologies, which will enable high turnover of design prototypes and production parts.This I-Corps project is based on prior NSF-funded research involving a design framework for biomimetic elasto-fluidic systems. The research inspired the invention of a novel technology for manufacturing elasto-fluidic actuators, which forms the basis of this I-Corps project. The technology, the Resin Mini-Extruder for additive manufacturing, is a screw-driven extrusion system, which includes a novel screw-drive extruder and dynamic control system. The intent is to implement the extruder with existing 3D printer electro-mechanical systems in a FDM additive manufacturing process. The invention of the Resin Mini-Extruder was motivated by the need to print materials that existing FDM technologies are incapable of processing, namely thermoplastic elastomers. A goal of this I-Corps project is to determine whether customers demand broader material variety from FDM and if so, which materials and composites are preferred. The I-Corps process will also be used to determine the extent at which the other technology advantages are valued among customers, including cost per print and print speed, in particular applications.