Creating 3D Cocooner Using Fiberglass Resin

One of the amazing wonders of nature that we usually observe and fascinated with from the time when we were still young is the stages that butterflies have to undergo. They have to survive in a cocoon until they become a butterfly. A cocoon represents the journey of a butterfly with its remarkable transformation just like how the 3D printing industry continues to develop. If you are already enthralled with these transformations, for sure it would be more captivating if you see a cocoon and 3D printing combines to create a piece of art.

How Festo Created Their 3D Cocooner

Festo, a German company revives the robotics realm with their 3D cocooner. The company is known for producing innovative design inspired by nature wherein the cocooner is their latest addition. They will present their work during the Hannover fair in Germany that will start from April 25 up to April 29.

You will notice that the works of Festo focus on nature from their BionicANTS up to the eMotion butterflies. This makes them different from the others because they expose to people the potential of technology in translating nature. They have created a particular niche for their works wherein they used functional electronics in manufacturing their products.

What Makes 3D Printing a Captivating Technology

You will certainly be mesmerized by the latest machine wherein you will see how 3D printing replaced the traditional way of printing using layers. The structure will be printed from the air that gives you an idea how insects create their cocoons. With the use of a tripod robot, the structure will be erected and will form its shape using a fiberglass resin material. The positional data will be sent to the tripod wherein an animation software controls the signal in order to create the 3D shape of the cocoon.

Dr. Elias Knubben, the head of Festo in creating bionic structures explains that the 3D cocooner was made just like what caterpillars do. With a handling system, the spinneret will be controlled. A UV hardening resin will also be used in laminating the fiberglass threads that look sticky and will be attached together to form an intricate structure.

You can connect the woven structures and can also be cut when necessary for you to create the desired shape. It is also possible for you to create bigger designs because the structures will be crafted in space. It can do the work for both complex and stable designs at a faster rate. You can redirect the 3D printed threads if ever that you have to work in a 3D space with no troubles of supporting your structure. It can shape a material at 10mm for every second that operates at 450 x 300 x 600 mm for the volume. The software program contains the entire system and also the design shape model so it can easily calculate, replicate, and perform the process without executing intermediary steps. As what the creators say, the process is straightforward that starts from the design to its production.