November 1, 2016
The Social Fabrication Lab at Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University (Director: Hiroya Tanaka, Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies), has developed the "⊿WORKS concept," a laser processing system capable of three-dimensional (3D) metal additive manufacturing, through joint research with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (President: Seiji Shirao, Headquarters: Ritto, Shiga Prefecture), a part of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group. A prototype model of this system will be exhibited at "JIMTOF2016 The 28th Japan International Machine Tool Fair," which opens on Thursday, November 17, at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Tokyo.
We invite the press to cover this event.
1. About the Social Fabrication Lab at Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University
Since 2013, the Social Fabrication Lab at Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University, has been developing specialized 3D printers targeted at specific fields, based on the open-source 3D printer designs and control methods known as RepRap. In particular, it has researched the "delta-style" mechanism, which is supported by three axes, and has refined its design to enhance portability and allow for easy expansion to suit the usage environment. Based on this mechanism, the lab has developed the ArchiFab 3D printer for architectural use (http://archifab.co) and is now also working on 3D printers for medical and nursing applications, including for prosthetic legs. Furthermore, starting with a 3D model search service (http://fab3d.cc), it has also been working on integrating network technologies suitable for the IoT era with 3D printers.
2. About the ⊿WORKS concept
The "⊿WORKS concept" applies the accumulated research on the design and control of the "delta-style" mechanism to metal processing for the first time, in combination with the laser processing technology of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. By combining the portability and expandability characteristic of the "delta-style" with diverse laser processing technologies, it is a concept model aimed at digital fabrication in the metal processing field. It is also capable of metal additive manufacturing using laser welding, and its future use as a metal 3D printer is being considered.
3. About JIMTOF2016 The 28th Japan International Machine Tool Fair
At the JIMTOF2016 exhibition venue, a demonstration of metal additive manufacturing is scheduled at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. booth (Booth No. E3030). Assuming its application to digital fabrication, the demonstration will highlight the concept of creating objects directly from digital information and the versatility of its usage environments.
Dates: Thursday, November 17–Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Venue: All halls of Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center)
*Please check the website for details. http://www.jimtof.org/jp/index.html
・For inquiries regarding the research:
Social Fabrication Lab, Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University (Contact: Ohno)
NU Kannai Bldg. 2F, 223-1 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL: 045-319-4763 FAX: 045-319-4764
E-mail: fabearth@sfc.keio.ac.jp
・Distributed by: Academic and Research Support, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office