Cambridge, MA - The Mediated Matter Group, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)'s Department of Mechnical Engineering and MIT's Glass Lab, has developed a laser additive manufacturing platform called G3DP that can print optically transparent glass.
The G3DP platform is based on a dual-heated-chamber concept: the upper chamber acts as a Kiln Cartridge while the lower chamber serves to anneal the structures. The Kiln Cartridge operates at approximately 1900°F and can contain sufficient material to build a single architectural component. The molten material gets funneled through an alumina-zircon-silica nozzle. The project synthesizes modern technologies with age-old established glass tools and technologies, producing novel glass structures with numerous potential applications.
The G3DP project was created in collaboration between the Mediated Matter group at the MIT Media Lab, the Mechanical Engineering Department, the MIT Glass Lab, and the Wyss Institute. Researchers involved in the work include John Klein, Michael Stern, Markus Kayser, Chikara Inamura, Giorgia Franchin, Shreya Dave, James Weaver, Peter Houk, and Prof. Neri Oxman.
A selection of glass pieces created by the G3DP platform will appear in an exhibition at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (New York, NY) in 2016.
For more information, please visit https://vimeo.com/136764796.