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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have adapted a 3D printer to print hair, bristles, and filaments:
To achieve 3D printing of thin filaments, the researchers modified the printer software - the control algorithm was modified so that the printer squeezed out quite a bit of plastic and immediately pulled the extruder away from the model. In this way, quick-set flexible threads are obtained, similar to those obtained using glue.
The printing of hair and bristles of different stiffness is achieved by adjusting the feed rate of the plastic and moving the extruder. In this case, the hair can be printed from the same material as the main model. The authors considered the most effective method of breaking a printed thread to use an auxiliary platform, about which the extruder “cleans” the second end of the thread adhering to it. By the way, I think it’s possible to clean off an additional wall, which is printed next to the model.
The authors of the work especially note that the method does not require hardware modification and is suitable for most FDM printers. As a platform for experiments, the authors deliberately chose one of the affordable consumer-grade FDM printers - Printbot Simple. Thus, printing hair that can be cut, braided and curled is available even to owners of budget printers.
