Researcher(s)
- Matthew Young, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
- Jared Wierzbicki, Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
- Benjamin Caro, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Herbert Tanner, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
- Jacob Robinson, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
The University of Delaware (UD) and the US Army CCDC-GVSC (GVSC) have partnered to show the feasibility of fabricating mission specific, man-packable, autonomous vehicles that are created via Computer Aided Design (CAD) which are then produced in a single autonomous unit-cell without human intervention in the manufacturing process. Many different manufacturing processes are used within the unit-cell (e.g., additive manufacturing (AM), pick-and-place, circuit printing, and subtractive manufacturing) that work to fabricate functional attritable devices. Using the capabilities of these cutting-edge 3D printers, two robots with completely different function and morphology were designed for 3D printing production. One robot uses legs for locomotion, while the other propels itself on wheels. During printing, stops would be made for electrical parts to be inserted into the build area, this includes the Arduino control board, servos, and power supply. Printing would then continue using a method of reheating the top surface to merge the cooled layers into the newly printed layers. Electrical connections were made using a conductive ink extruded via the micro dispensing nozzle on the NSCRYPT machine. This ink was then heated to finalize the connections to electrical components. To fully print a robot using these methods takes around 24 hours and is connected wirelessly to a remote controller using Bluetooth Low Energy. The finalized print is then broken off the print plate using a sweeping arm and is ready to drive off the print plate. The newly printed mission specific vehicle made within a single manufacturing unit-cell with no human interference is now ready to go into the field.