July 31, 2018
—Combining Multiple Different Processes with 3D Printing
for Free Customization to Suit Any Purpose—
Project Associate Professor Noriyuki Abe and his colleagues at the Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, have successfully developed "FABRICATOR" (trademark registered, Trademark Registration No. 5884872), a desktop device capable of manufacturing IoT devices (Fig. 1). "FABRICATOR" was developed as part of the research by the "Process & Technology" group (Group Leader: Hiroya Tanaka, Professor at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at the university) for the project, "Center for Creating a Fab Earth Society that Directly Connects Sensibility and Digital Manufacturing to Expand the Creativity of Individuals." This project is supported by the Center of Innovation (COI) Program, a research results deployment program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
Key Features of the "FABRICATOR" Desktop Multi-Process Manufacturing Device
■ A compact device has been developed that integrates into a single unit the multiple processes for manufacturing electronic circuits, essential for IoT devices, and the packaging of the exterior using 3D printing. The device can automatically manufacture IoT devices on a desktop, starting from just a single unit.
■ Traditionally, connecting multiple processes for manufacturing electronic circuits required arranging different machines and installing a transport mechanism between them, necessitating a large amount of space. In contrast, the new, patent-pending transport mechanism enables these same processes to be performed compactly on a desktop.
■ Its specifications also allow users to freely customize and use six different processes. Beyond manufacturing IoT devices, it can be applied to different methods of 3D printing and even to research in fields such as cell printing, chemical reaction processes, and food printing.
For more details, please see the press release (file: Enabling On-Demand Manufacturing of Single IoT Devices with a Compact Desktop Device ~Combining Multiple Different Processes with 3D Printing for Free Customization to Suit Any Purpose~.pdf ).
*This press release has been distributed to the city news desks of various newspapers.
For inquiries about this release:
Secretariat, Global Fab Society Consortium
Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University
Distributed by:
Academic Research Support, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office, Keio University