openMaterials

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin has available on its site a highly experimental, but apparently feasible, tutorial for producing DIY OLEDs using conductive glass and a polyvinyl alcohol solution. It presents two alternatives for the application method: a 2500rpm fan or an aluminum foil + duct tape mask. [...]

The OpenStructures project is an open and modular construction system where everyone designs for everyone on the basis of one shared geometrical grid: It is an ongoing experiment that wants to find out what happens if people design objects according to a shared modular grid, a common open standard that stimulates the exchange of parts, components, [...]

Open3DP’s Recipes are a really nice resource for those interested in experimenting with different materials for 3D printing. There’s a little bit of everything in there, from glass to porcelain to sugar. Open3dp is a website hosted by the Solheim Rapid Prototyping Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department on the University of Washington campus. [...]

Unfold has started printing with ceramics on a modified rapman. First results look amazing: We took some time to play around and get used to the dynamics of the clay print process. It was also time to step up (or down?) the resolution from 1.9 to 0.8 mm using screw-on luer lock tips. We are also [...]

Here’s a very interesting article from physorg.com on spray-on liquid glass: Spray-on liquid glass is transparent, non-toxic, and can protect virtually any surface against almost any damage from hazards such as water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. The coating is also flexible and breathable, which makes it suitable for use on an enormous array [...]

I thought I’d share with you how methylenchlorid can be used to glue and fix different plastics. Here’s an experiment I’ve just done using a hacked servo (continuous rotation) and polystyrene and methylenchlorid to make a linear actuator. The video below shows how easy it is to use methylenchlorid: If you can see this, [...]