You know, if this is as simple as depositing the proper ratios of silver nitrate with ascorbic acid, then “all” you’d need to do is modify a Pwder printer (see http://pwdr.github.io/) to support three fluids (stronger binder, silver nitrate, ascorbic acid) to integrate wiring into prints.
Add a pick’n’place tool for components and you’re set!
http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/11/11/3d-printing-circuitry-gets-precise-kick/
Silver nanoparticle paste has been used to “print” vias in some applications for years - and my understanding is that it has been used to make paper PCB’s with a printing-press (roll to roll) process. The ability to jet the circuit design is nice to have. I’ve been waffling on pulling the trigger - spent an hour going back and forth. Still haven’t decided.
@Christopher_Benjamin - That’s exactly what the Kickstarter is. They’re using two inkjet cartridges, one containing silver nitrate and the other ascorbic acid, to print out the traces.
It’s a 2D printer. The only reason they stuck 3D in the title is to ride the hype wave.
@John_Ridley That would be nice to have them develop a cartridge for a cheap, 2D printer but how would you control the printer without hacking it? Seems like they developed the software from the ground up which has more value than the custom printer itself. Price is high but they have no competition and they can package the whole thing into one stand alone product. Still pretty cool for what it can do.
If they only made cartridges they couldn’t call it a 3D printer. And then where would the money come from ?
Devil’s in the details. It’s not an ink in the traditional sense so there may be some curing+evaporation times involved that wouldn’t work in a conventional printer with rollers moving the substrate.
Just going through their kickstarter page and in their “development” section, they did try using an off the shelf printer and filled the cartridges with the chemicals but didn’t get the desirable results.
@John_Ridley - I’d argue it’s no more or less a 3D printer than anything else out there. If you deposit more than one layer (e.g. to give more cross-sectional area to power traces), or add a third (electrical insulator) material to do multi-layer circuits, inductive and capacitive elements, that’s close enough to being a “3d printer” in my mind to qualify.
The devil is in the details. The printer shows a hot bed - so clearly there is some amount of activation/curing that is helped along with heat. Printing on a conventional inkjet printer probably introduces quite a lot of repeatability/alignment problems. And there’s probably not a particularly simple way to adjust the jet density/speed needed to control the deposition of the components.
to those claiming it is not a 3d printer: Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word but if this thing prints multiple layers, though very small, that is something to consider.Different thickness will result in different current/resistance ratings. Also if it gives quality resolution on Plexiglas (thick) and paper (thin) then it must have some level of z axis control. IMHO it has x,y,and z axis, It can print in multiple layers,and is obviously an additive process. Walks like a duck talks like a duck its a duck. Not all ducks are mallards, but a mud duck is still a duck.
@Andrew_Plumb They said in the comments that it does do multiple layers of traces like you say, so it’s at least 3d in that sense. They’re also looking into printing insulating materials.
They should call printers like this “flat 3d printers” because the resulting object is essentially flat.
@Andrew_Plumb After wondering what a “cloth bot” was, I thought this might interest you http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1763
Yup! Basically “life-proof” robotics. 