My masters thesis on 3d printing mechanical metamaterials with hobbyist grade 3D printer, containing the first realisation of a 3D topological mechanical insulator and the invention of a novel support method utilising stringing. Originally submitted on the 7th of January 2020.
A new method of realising ball-and-spring metamaterial designs has been developed to allow for their fabrication using low-cost, hobbyist grade 3D printers. This realisation method uses a tapered beam design which is shown, though computational simulation, to be a suitable approximation of ball-and-spring models. The low-cost of the method allows for the fabrication of metamaterials to be more easily accessible to academics. This realisation method is then used to fabricate the first true, three-dimensional mechanical topological insulator. Through the development of the method, a new technique for supporting intricate lattice-like structures during 3D printing has been conceived. This new support technique, named “hybrid support”, makes use of a common 3D printing problem, stringing, to provide horizontal support and systematically generated, tree-like structures to provide vertical support. The resulting support architecture uses minimal material and is easily removed in post-processing. Hybrid support allows sparse thin structures to be printed at heights and overhangs previously unachievable using hobbyist grade 3D printers.