Carbomorph: The Next Big Thing In 3D Printed Electronics

This does not mean we will be able to print a full computer next year but it is a step in the right direction. A useful application for this may be as a part of a kit that has most of the other electronics but requires customization for various uses. Something along the lines of the educational tool Mo-Botby Barobo, which recently released all of their CAD files so that educators and students can print out their own pieces.

Such kits may include the opportunity to create customized intelligent everyday items. The researchers showed a few applications that may be useful including a cup that was able to tell how full it was.

 Of course this is a simple application, and there are other ways to achieve the same result, but in the hands of designers and innovators this simple workflow may be turned into an amazing product no one has yet thought of. Ultimately these designers will have an easier time prototyping their new inventions. The excitement of this is captured in the paper presenting Carbomorph:

The printed sensors are simple to interface to and require no complicated electronic circuits or amplification, in-fact the sensors can be monitored using existing open-source electronics and freely available programming libraries. Standard print settings were used and no modifications to the printer were required. A significant advantage in using 3D printing to create electronic components such as these is that sockets for connecting to standard equipment such as interface boards and multimeters can be printed as part of the printed structure whereas a 2D printed electronics approach using a technology such as inkjet printing would require the use of conductive glues and paints. This approach will open up many new applications for 3DP where fully interactive devices can be printed, for instance, designers could understand how people tactilely interact with their products by monitoring sensors embedded inside.