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How do you think they extruded glue in a grid? Would it be an extrusion nozzle on an XY gantry (like a MakerBot), or am I overthinking this? Maybe a simpler ap

How do you think they extruded glue in a grid? Would it be an extrusion nozzle on an XY gantry (like a MakerBot), or am I overthinking this? Maybe a simpler approach would be to extrude through a mask that has a grid-like pattern of holes? Obviously you could only make isolated dots of glue, but not overlapping lines of glue (you can't have floating islands in your mask layer). So although it wasn't the technique used in this article, I guess it could work just as well, right?

ygra 13y ago
Can't one just spray the glue in that pattern with some kind of inkjet head? Or is that bound to fail due to glue's ability to ... well ... glue things together?
- jonmrodriguez 13y ago
  If the glue is standard cyanoacrylate ("super glue"), then, since the glue is moisture-activated, maybe you could do it without the nozzle getting clogged as long as you have some kind of amazing material for the nozzle that repels moisture. Maybe someone with experience using cyanoacrylate in industrial settings can speak to this. All I know is that my hobby-store super glue nozzles (cheap plastic) get clogged almost instantly. :P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate -- But, my main concern with any kind of XY gantry (as in an inkjet printer like you describe), is that it would take frigging FOREVER. There's no way you want this glueing step to take 45 seconds per unit or more. That's the puzzle, I think, is how did they create this glue grid so quickly that it rivals the blob approach (1 - 2 seconds)?
  - Kliment 13y ago
    Stencil application, usually. Similar to the process used for solder paste or screen printing. You can use polypropylene or acetal nozzles, cyanoacrylate won't stick to those.
    - jonmrodriguez 13y ago
      Awesome, thank you
stevenrace 13y ago
Henkel/Loctite have XY(Z) offerings for industrial uses [1,2] as well as screen printing of UV curable glues. The ability to post cure using UV LEDs makes this much more reasonable, even given the short cure times for some cyanoacrylates. [1] http://equipment.loctite.com/productLineDetail.cfm?pl=21 http://equipment.loctite.com/productLineDetail.cfm?pl=21 [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RR67d8CC8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RR67d8CC8 (larger epoxy extruder, same idea)

ygra 13y ago

Can't one just spray the glue in that pattern with some kind of inkjet head? Or is that bound to fail due to glue's ability to ... well ... glue things together?

jonmrodriguez 13y ago
If the glue is standard cyanoacrylate ("super glue"), then, since the glue is moisture-activated, maybe you could do it without the nozzle getting clogged as long as you have some kind of amazing material for the nozzle that repels moisture. Maybe someone with experience using cyanoacrylate in industrial settings can speak to this. All I know is that my hobby-store super glue nozzles (cheap plastic) get clogged almost instantly. :P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate -- But, my main concern with any kind of XY gantry (as in an inkjet printer like you describe), is that it would take frigging FOREVER. There's no way you want this glueing step to take 45 seconds per unit or more. That's the puzzle, I think, is how did they create this glue grid so quickly that it rivals the blob approach (1 - 2 seconds)?
- Kliment 13y ago
  Stencil application, usually. Similar to the process used for solder paste or screen printing. You can use polypropylene or acetal nozzles, cyanoacrylate won't stick to those.
  - jonmrodriguez 13y ago
    Awesome, thank you

stevenrace 13y ago

Henkel/Loctite have XY(Z) offerings for industrial uses [1,2] as well as screen printing of UV curable glues. The ability to post cure using UV LEDs makes this much more reasonable, even given the short cure times for some cyanoacrylates. [1] http://equipment.loctite.com/productLineDetail.cfm?pl=21 http://equipment.loctite.com/productLineDetail.cfm?pl=21 [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RR67d8CC8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RR67d8CC8 (larger epoxy extruder, same idea)