Scuola Superiore Di Studi Universitari E Di Perfezionamento Sant'anna

3dnextech S.r.l.

Andrea Arienti

Maurizio Follador

Paolo Dario

Barbara Mazzolai

Cecilia Laschi

Francesco Giorgio Serchi

Matteo Cianchetti

Marcello Calisti

Michele Giorelli

Luca Nencini

A method and apparatus are for surface finishing of pieces obtained by 3D printing. The piece to be treated and a liquid process plasticizer are heated together in a hermetically sealed treatment chamber up to a working temperature lower than the boiling temperature of the process plasticizer. The air/vapor mixture is maintained in continuous circulation in the chamber to keep the temperature and concentration uniform and to contact the piece with the air/vapor mixture to avoid condensate formation on the piece surface and allow process plasticizer vapors to be absorbed by the piece surface without condensate formation. Vapor exposure time is fixed depending on the desired penetration depth. A chamber has heaters, a ventilator for circulating the air/vapor mixture in the chamber to maintain uniform temperature and concentration conditions. A unit separates the process plasticizer vapors from the air/vapor mixture by condensation. A unit filters the residual air/vapor mixture.

Method and apparatus for surface finishing of articles produced by 3D printing

A device, which is autonomous or which can be associated with another structure, for propulsion in a liquid environment, is described. The device has a bladder body made of a soft material, developing along and around a central longitudinal axis, defining an internal chamber between a dorsal wall and a ventral wall; in the bladder body, an inlet opening and an outlet opening of a liquid in and out of the chamber, arranged at a longitudinal end of the body; and drive means for driving a contraction of the bladder, arranged on the dorsal wall and having a mechanical connection with the ventral to cyclically attract the ventral wall to the dorsal wall, thereby causing a pulsed ejection of a propeller jet from the chamber through the outlet opening.

Underwater propeller device with pulsed jets

A robotic limb is described. The robotic limb has a closed tubular casing made of viscoelastic material defining a chamber containing an incompressible fluid. The closed tubular casing has a sheath formed by substantially inextensible intertwined wires. In the chamber there are groups of transverse actuators axially spaced from each other, connected to the sheath and adapted to reversibly contract the closed tubular casing at least partly in the radial direction. The robotic limb also has longitudinal actuators adapted to reversibly contract the closed tubular casing at least partly in the axial direction being connected to each of the groups of transverse actuators.

Bio-inspired continuous robotic limb

A robot having an overall structure inspired by theis described. The robot has soft arms joined in a radial manner to a central support. The soft arms have the capability of lengthening, shortening and wrapping around in a coil-shape manner. The extremely simple movements and coordination of the soft arms are effective because of the interaction between the single actions. For example during locomotion, while some arms act as a support for stability, the others provide for thrusting allowing the robot to advance. Once near the target, some arms provide for stability whereas the others can bend so as to wrap around and transport external entities.

Robot having soft arms for locomotion and grip purposes

Growing community of inventors

Leghorn, Italy

Andrea Arienti