A printer built by researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) can print objects using up to 10 different materials at once.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) have developed a cheaper, more user-friendly 3D printer. Credit: MITResearchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) have developed a cheaper, more user-friendly 3D printer. Credit: MITThe researchers say that the new multi-material printer, known as ‘MultiFab’, eventually could open up new opportunities for researchers, manufacturers and consumers.

“The platform opens up new possibilities for manufacturing, giving researchers and hobbyists alike the power to create objects that have previously been difficult or even impossible to print,” says Javier Ramos, a research engineer at CSAIL.

In many cases, multi-material machines are expensive and it can only use three or fewer materials at a time.

MultiFab uses machine vision 3D-scanning techniques, which allow it to self-calibrate and self-correct for mistakes it makes. It does this by scanning every layer that is printed, detecting mistakes and printing a “correction mask” to compensate.

The MultiFab prototype was built for $7,000 using off-the-shelf prototypes. The printer can print an array of complex objects, such as consumer electronics components, microsensing devices, medical imaging devices and telecommunications components, say the researchers.

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