Robocasting

Robocasting or Direct Ink Writing (DIW) is an

additive manufacturing technique in which a lament of
'ink' is extruded from a nozzle, forming an object layer
by layer. The technique was rst developed in the United
States in 1996 as a method to allow geometrically complex ceramic green bodies to be produced by additive
manufacturing.[1] In robocasting, a 3D CAD model is divided up into layers in a similar manner to other additive
manufacturing techniques. A uid (typically a ceramic
slurry), referred to as an 'ink', is then extruded through a
small nozzle as the nozzles position is controlled, drawing
out the shape of each layer of the CAD model. The ink
exits the nozzle in a liquid-like state but retains its shape
immediately, exploiting the rheological property of shear
thinning. It is distinct from fused deposition modelling
as it does not rely on the solidication or drying to retain
its shape after extrusion.

orientation.

2 Applications
The technique can produce non-dense ceramic bodies
which are very fragile and must be sintered before they
can be used for most applications, analogous to a wet
clay ceramic pot before being red. A wide variety
of dierent geometries can be formed from the technique, from solid bars of material to intricate microscale
scaolds.[4] To date the most researched application for
robocasting is in the production of biologically compatible tissue implants. Woodpile stacked lattice structures
can be formed quite easily which allow bone and other tissues in the human body to grow and eventually replace the
transplant. With various medical scanning techniques the
precise shape of the missing tissue was be established and
input into 3d modelling software and printed. Calcium
phosphate glasses and hydroxyapetite have been extensively explored as candidate materials due to their biocompatibility and structural similarity to bone.[5] Other
potential applications include the production of specic
high surface area structures, such as catalyst beds or fuel
cell electrolytes.[6] Advanced metal matrix- and ceramic
matrix- load bearing composites can be formed by inltrating woodpile bodies with molten glasses, alloys or
slurries.

Process

Robocasting begins with a software process which slices

an STL le (stereolithography le format) into layers of
similar thickness to the nozzle diameter. The part is produced by extruding a continuous lament of ink material
in the shape required to ll the rst layer. Next, either
the stage is moved down or the nozzle is moved up and
the next layer is deposited in the required pattern. This is
repeated until the 3d part is complete. Numerically controlled mechanisms are typically used to move the nozzle Robocasting has also been used to deposit polymer and
diameters (<2m)
in a calculated tool-path generated by a computer-aided sol-gel inks through much ner nozzle
[2]
than
is
possible
with
ceramic
inks.
manufacturing (CAM) software package. Stepper motors
or servo motors are usually employed to move the nozzle
with precision as ne as nanometers.[2]

3 References

The part is typically very fragile and soft at this point.

Drying, debinding and sintering usually follow to give the
part the desired mechanical properties.

[1] Stuecker, J (2004). Advanced Support Structures for

Enhanced Catalytic Activity. Industrial & Engineering
Chemistry Research 43 (1). doi:10.1021/ie030291v.

Depending on the ink composition, printing speed and

printing environment, robocasting can typically deal with
moderate overhangs and large spanning regions many
times the lament diameter in length, where the structure
is unsupported from below.[3] This allows intricate periodic 3D scaolds to be printed with ease, a capability
which is not possessed by other additive manufacturing
techniques. These parts have shown extensive promise in
elds of photonic crystals, bone transplants, catalyst supports and lters. Furthermore supporting structures can
also be printed from a fugitive ink which is easily removed. This allows almost any shape to be printed in any

[2] Xu, Mingjie; Gratson, Gregory M.; Duoss, Eric B.; Shepherd, Robert F.; Lewis, Jennifer A. (2006). Biomimetic
silicication of 3D polyamine-rich scaolds assembled
by direct ink writing.
Soft Matter 2 (3): 205.
doi:10.1039/b517278k. ISSN 1744-683X.
[3] Smay, James E.; Cesarano, Joseph; Lewis, Jennifer A.
(2002). Colloidal Inks for Directed Assembly of 3-D
Periodic Structures. Langmuir 18 (14): 54295437.
doi:10.1021/la0257135. ISSN 0743-7463.

[4] Lewis, Jennifer (2006). Direct Ink Writing of 3D Functional Materials. Advanced Functional Materials 16 (17):
21932204. doi:10.1002/adfm.200600434.
[5] Miranda, P (2008). Mechanical properties of calcium phosphate scaolds fabricated by robocasting..
Journal of Biomedical Materials 85 (1): 218227.
doi:10.1002/jbm.a.31587.
[6] Kuhn, M.; Napporn, T.; Meunier, M.; Vengallatore, S.;
Therriault, D. (2008). Direct-write microfabrication of
single-chamber micro solid oxide fuel cells. Journal
of Micromechanics and Microengineering 18: 015005.
doi:10.1088/0960-1317/18/1/015005.

External links
Robocasting, MIT Technology Review

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.1

Text

Robocasting Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocasting?oldid=652935653 Contributors: Ezrado, ImageRemovalBot, De728631,

Ronhjones, Yobot, Buster Hateld and Claudio.cantone

5.2

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5.3

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