The picture shows the members of the 9T laboratory team, from left to right, Giovanni Cavolina, Filippo Kusch, Selçuk Ercan and Martin Eichenhofer, the printer closest to the top 3 is Chester Houwink. Image credit: 9T Lab
Three alumni of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) A new 3D printer has been developed that can manufacture parts using carbon fiber composites. 9T Labs, a division of ETH, brings new possibilities for the manufacture and use of lightweight high-strength components.
Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP, often referred to as carbon) are the best choice for making lighter and stronger products, whether it's airplanes, Formula 1 cars and mountain bikes, robots, medical devices and medical implants, it has nowhere Nothing is omnipotent. It is stronger than steel, but weighs only one-fifth of the weight of steel, which makes it popular in the global market.
However, this material is not perfect. Because of its high manufacturing cost and long manufacturing cycle, it is too expensive compared to aluminum or steel. This composite is a high-strength and durable material that combines carbon fiber and plastic. One of the reasons for keeping production costs high is that each part requires a separate mold.
Production of moldless carbon parts
9T Labs, a division of ETH, has found a new way to produce carbon components: developing a 3D printer to produce carbon fiber composite parts. This method abandons the bulky molds of traditional manufacturing and uses proprietary software design on the computer. The parts to be manufactured are printed directly using a 3D printer. The plastic and carbon fiber will be combined in the printer and then extruded to pass the heated material through the heated nozzle.
Giovanni Cavolin, one of the founders of 9T Labs, said: 'We combine the technical advantages of 3D printing technology with the superior performance of carbon fiber composites. First, this new technology not only overcomes the high cost of carbon fiber composites. Disadvantages also greatly reduce the production cost and production cycle of the entire production process. In addition, this new technology can also be used to manufacture complex components such as satellite antennas or prostheses. There is also an advantage that is not particularly important. Can save materials and reduce waste of resources.
The three founders of 9T Lab are ETH alumni, Martin Eichenhofer (30 years old), Giovanni Cavolina (years old) and Chester Houwink (years old). Composites and adaptive structures led by Professor Paolo Ermanni four years ago. When the laboratory conducted research work, Eichenhofer first came up with the idea of starting a business. The idea was realized in early 2018: Eichenhofer received funding of 300,000 francs and established a joint stock company in January this year. The European Space Agency also invited this A young company joined the incubator, which not only provided an additional 200,000 francs, but also provided a good industrial network.
Eichenhofer, who is writing a doctoral thesis, said: 'The carbon fiber components we produce have potential applications in many other ways. In addition, we have further expanded the range of applications for this material, so the industry has shown great interest in it. Cavolina added: 'We believe that for companies, market-oriented is very important. Therefore, we hope to bring products to market as soon as possible so that we can get useful feedback from the market.'
3D printing system will be ready next year
A complete software and hardware-completed printing system will be ready for beta testing early next year. After that, how to deliver services to the right department in the right order will be the most important thing for them to consider. 9T Lab hopes to serve first Provided to research and development clients, such as universities and technical colleges. Cavolina explained: 'We hope to get good technical feedback from these customers to help us continuously improve our products.'
Engineers are currently fine-tuning the prototype of the 3D printer. The startup is still in the office of the Surrey-Xicheng Science and Technology Park. But this situation will soon change because of this young company. It is expanding rapidly and recruiting new employees. Eight employees, including interns, are currently working in the 9T lab, and four more employees will join this year.
Cavolina believes that bringing the team together is a major challenge. He said: 'It is not easy to find good software and hardware engineers.' This is why he invested a lot of time and energy to recruit new employees. He has always said, 'We need really talented people to ensure that products meet market demand.'