Jennifer Lewis, Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University School of Engineering, founded Voxel8, which participated in the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to rave reviews. The company unveiled a new printing technology that embeds electronic circuitry in 3-D parts for the first time.
According to the company:
“We are a startup company that is bringing novel materials to 3-D printing. We will embed function into the typical shapes of 3-D printing. Our materials, based on research by Harvard SEAS Professor Lewis, allow us to print embedded conductors, wires, and batteries into the normal matrix materials of 3-D printing.”
Lewis, a pioneer in the development of conductive ink, has created a new conductive ink formulated to print via a 250 micron nozzle. The ink includes highly conductive silver particles allowing it to carry currents required for small electric motors and other actuators.
Voxel8 Software & Output
Following is the design interface for embedding circuitry in 3D objects:
Voxel8 (Image Courtesy www.voxel8.co)
The following two images show a product designed and created with the new technology:
Voxel8 (Image Courtesy www.voxel8.co)
Voxel8 (Image Courtesy www.voxel8.co)
Launch of First Product
The company has received funding from Braemar Energy Ventures and is collaborating with Autodesk, which is providing engineering talent to create Project Wire, a design tool specifically for Voxel8 allowing designers and engineers to create 3-D parts with embedded circuitry.
The company is raising money through a crowdfunding campaign and began to offer a Developers Kit at the CES on pre-order for $8,999.
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