Figure 1: Our multi-material 3D printer (left) and a set of fabricated materials and objects (right). AbstractWe have developed a multi-material 3D printing platform that is high-resolution, low-cost, and extensible. The key part of our platform is an integrated machine vision system. This system allows for self-calibration of printheads, 3D scanning, and a closed-feedback loop to enable print corrections. The integration of machine vision with 3D printing simplifies the overall platform design and enables new applications such as 3D printing over auxiliary parts. Furthermore, our platform dramatically expands the range of parts that can be 3D printed by simultaneously supporting up to 10 different materials that can interact optically and mechanically. The platform achieves a resolution of at least 40 µm by utilizing piezoelectric inkjet printheads adapted for 3D printing. The hardware is low cost (less than $7,000) since it is built exclusively from off-the-shelf components. The architecture is extensible and modular -adding, removing, and exchanging printing modules can be done quickly. We provide a detailed analysis of the system's performance. We also demonstrate a variety of fabricated multi-material objects.

The FabSquare system is a personal fabrication method that lets users fabricate objects by molding photopolymers inside a 3D printed mold. The molds are printed with UV-transparent materials that allow for UV curing--the polymerization and solidification of the fluid content. The molds can be repeatedly reused to fabricate identical objects or create new objects with identical geometry, but different components. Because the necessary equipment is easily obtainable and affordable, the FabSquare approach is suitable for ordinary users in nonspecialized labs, allowing them to rapidly fabricate a range of objects. https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2017030034s1.mp4https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2017030034s2.pdf.