HotFlex: Post-print Customization of 3D Prints Using Embedded State Change

Project Details
Project Name :

HotFlex: Post-print Customization of 3D Prints Using Embedded State Change

Project Category :

01Digital Fabrication Technologies, Daniel

Skill :

Honorable Mention Award

Client Review :

(CHI 2016)

Description :

HotFlex

Post-print Customization of 3D Prints Using Embedded State Change


While 3D printing offers great design flexibility before the object is printed, it is very hard for end-users to customize a 3D-printed object to their specific needs after it is printed. We propose HotFlex: a new approach allowing precisely located parts of a 3D object to transition on demand from a solid into a deformable state and back. This approach enables intuitive hands-on remodeling, personalization, and customization of a 3D object after it is printed. We introduce the approach and present an implementation based on computer-controlled printed heating elements that are embedded within the 3D object. We present a set of functional patterns that act as building blocks and enable various forms of hands-on customization. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to integrate sensing of user input and visual output. A series of technical experiments and various application examples demonstrate the practical feasibility of the approach.

Publication

Daniel Groeger, Elena Chong Loo, and Jürgen Steimle
In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’16).


[Pdf]

[Publisher]