The conventional wisdom is that to print large, furniture-sized parts, we’ll need ever-larger printers, but the pair of MIT educated researchers have developed an ingenious software tool that enables humble desktop 3-D printers to create objects the size of desks.
Their project is called Hyperform, and the process transforms CAD models into a series of linear paths that are populated with a chain of virtual rings. Each link in the chain acts like a pixel to help define the form of the model and is customized with a unique notch that allows it to connect to nearby links. The model of the chain is folded digitally, optimized for space with an algorithm, and then sent to a 3-D printer where a UV laser cures a light sensitive resin until the finished part emerges from the machine. The result looks like a brick of uncooked ramen, but as soon as the part is washed off, the chain can be unraveled—like pulling a string from a sweater.
via Wired
