MaterialsScience

Materials

Although right now reprap is concentrating on ThermoPlastic, there are a variety of materials we're interested in repraping.

ConductiveMaterials

ConductiveMaterials serve as wiring, antennae, and faraday cages.

polyacetylene

Polyaniline, PEDOT, Polyaniline, Polythiophenes, BESB

FlexibleMaterials

We can use materials such as LiquidLatexRubber and RoomTemperatureVulcanizingSilicone to create flexible elements such as gaskets, hinges, and moulds.

RefractoryMaterials

Refractory Materials are materials which do not break down when exposed to high temperatures.

We'll probably use RefractoryMaterials as an investment or a CeramicShell for metal casting.

When a jeweler prepares a small wax model for casting, he or she places the wax in a small cylindrical metal flask and fill the remaining volume with an investment. This investment is basically refractory plaster; it consists of water added to a mixed powder of gypsum, silica flour, and cristobalite, along with small amounts of chemical modifiers and a strengthening agent such as fiberglass. He or she then places the flask in a small furnace to burn out the wax and then pours metal into the hot flask.

When a sculptor prepares a larger wax model for casting , he or she coats it in a 1 to 2 cm layer of CeramicShell. He or she does this by dipping the wax model into a ceramic slurry - a mixture of water, silica flour, and liquefied plastic. This forms a thin wet coating on the model. This wet layer is then dusted with a refractory aggregate - silica or zircon sand. The process is repeated to build up the 1 to 2cm layer. The ceramic shell is then placed in a small furnace to burn out the wax, and metal is poured into the hot shell.

Here what we are interested in doing is depositing a CeramicShell from a SlurryDepostionHead as we build up the model out of thermoplastic. We can then remove the object from the reprap, place it in a furnace to burn out the thermoplastic, and pour metal into the ceramic shell.

WatersolubleMaterials

WaterSolubleWax

CeramicMaterials

A useful keyword for internet and library searchs is Engineer Ceramics

e.g. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=engineering%20ceramics&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en

EdibleMaterials

IcingSugar and MilkChocolate

"Let's see, icing covers the sweet end of things, we still need salty, crunchy, and greasy extrudates in order to cover the four snack groups, and fabricate proper snack foods." -Brett

ThermoPlastic

ThermoPlastic has its own section already

FillerMaterials

plaasjaapie has experimented with MarbleDust blended with http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12223283&postID=114364643055372890

PreciousMetals

PreciousMetalClay is a

-- Main.SebastienBailard - 16 Jun 2006