Additive Manufacturing projects “Laser-Assisted μ-3D printer” by Prof. I. A. Palani, IIT Indore, and “Portable 4D Printer” by Prof Somashekara M.A., IIT Dharwad got featured in IInvenTiv, an international R&D event.
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IInvenTiv is India’s first mega Research & Development Fair, where all 23 IITs from across the country came to the IIT Delhi to demonstrate industry-relevant projects. The event aimed to showcase indigenous research, development, and innovations of IITs on a global platform. The event featured two additive manufacturing projects, showing India’s technical and entrepreneurial potential in AM. The projects were featured in the theme “Manufacturing (including smart, advanced and Industry 4.0)”.
Project 1: Laser-Assisted μ-3D printer for fabricating miniature devices and structures by Prof. I. A. Palani, IIT Indore
The team has developed a micro 3D-printing set-up with a capability for maskless manufacturing from thin films for multi-layer and muti-material printing. The set-up is interfaced with a CO2 laser. It has a 5-axis degree of freedom for the donor and acceptor stage for fabricating complex structures with a maximum speed of 2.5 mm/s. The system has a volume of 35x35x35mm3 and a minimum resolution of 100 microns. A wall structure is fabricated using a layer-by-layer deposition of thin film for a maximum height of 750 microns.
Photo Credits: Prof. I. A. Palani
Project 2: Design and Development of 4D Printing Technology by Prof Somashekara M.A., IIT Dharwad
The IIT Dharwad team is developing a 4D-printing set-up to build Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) embedded into 4D-printed parts such as mechanical grippers, aircraft flappers, circuit breakers, exoskeletons, and self-assembling structures. The set-up demonstrates the capability to embed SMA materials into 3D-printed parts after being trained to the requisite shape and orientation. The 4D printer is portable, interchangeable (material variants), and environment-friendly (uses biodegradable materials). The team is working to develop integral portable desktop-scale 4D printers commercially for domestic and industrial use.
The event proved to be beneficial for students and innovators as it provided them with an opportunity to understand new trends in technology. Additionally, it also demonstrated India’s capability for developing technology startups.
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