Modeling at IRE

This device was cut from clear acrylic sheeting using IRE's CO2 laser cutter and bonded together using acetone. This was implemented in the Matrix Vasoconstrictor Team's project which is a continuation of the team's mentor, Les Flemming's doctoral dissertation. The small 1/8" silicone tubing was used as a micro-valve to direct hot and cold water to shape memory alloy wires which contract and extend when heated and cooled for use in robotics.

Our manufacturing capabilities at IRE have increased dramatically over the past few months. Since a large part of some projects involve modeling some type of system or prototype, it is very important to have this ability when performing a successful project or even a technical competency. A component of this involves having quality tools to perform these tasks, as well as usable spaces to create our designs.

Our modeling lab is designed for this purpose, and houses two major automated tools for manufacturing various devices. The laser cutter contains a high powered CO2 laser which is able to cut acrylic, wood, and thin metal. Designs are created using AutoCAD or Autodesk Inventor and downloaded to the laser cutter. For the robotics project I am currently part of, we created various working models which controlled fluid flow through an actuator system. The separate pieces of the model were cut from thin clear acrylic in the laser cutter and bonded together using acetone. This process worked very well and allowed for easy changes to the model when problems arose.

The second major piece of equipment installed in the modeling lab is the 3D plastic printer. After designing the part and downloading it to the printer, models are shaped from liquid plastic which cools after applied in the correct place. Different plastic model pieces have been created at IRE which have been implemented in various projects such as an automated digital camera holder which produces slow moving time lapse pictures.

The new manufacturing lab contains various milling and cutting equipment which have been installed over the past few months. A manual mill, automated mill, automated lathe, and a water jet machine are available for our use. This new equipment has allowed IRE to manufacture hardier steel or aluminum parts for various uses. Additionally various equipment such as plasma cutters, wire feed welders among others allows us to take parts cut from these machines and create working models.