Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Multimaterial with a self-healing micro structure. The ball-and-socket releases
at critical stress but can join again and recover the original pattern.
During my visit to Objet, Eduardo and Daniel reached into a drawer and
pulled out a few pieces of bizarre new materials. They showed me one piece
they said was a printed self-healing material. They explained that this mate-
rial can sustain stress up to a maximum point. Then, when the stress exceeds
that limit, the material will give way but then can “heal” completely after the
stress is removed.
Such a material is made by depositing raw material into tiny interlocking
“balls and sockets.” A material made of millions of interlocking components
would remain lexible until the balls pop out of the sockets. If the material
were compressed, the balls would snap back into place and the material would
regain its original behavior.
When I examined Objet's novel material closely, it looked just like an ordi-
nary gray plastic. I imagined how useful this ordinary, yet extraordinary
