ebarnett's blog

At McGill University, we are researching rapid prototyping with ice as the build material. We have modified a Fab@Home Model 1 in several ways so that it can be used to deposit water. These changes include:

(1) The replacement of the syringe assembly with a valve/nozzle deposition system

(2) The installation of a temperature-controlled heating system for the water delivery lines and the valve/nozzle

(3) Lubrication of the lead screws and some other components with PTFE grease, which is more suitable for the -20C environment of our freezer

(4) Installation of the system electronics outside the freezer to ensure more reliable operation

Below, you can see a close-up of our deposition tool, along with the modified Fab@Home with some parts we have built. For more information, please visit our website.