Development of 'Faster and More Affordable' High-Performance Sensors Using 3D Printers

Professor Kim Hoejun's Team at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The team led by Professor Kim Hoe-jun of the Department of Robotics Engineering at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced on the 8th that they have developed a sensor capable of measuring multi-axis pressure and temperature using a carbon nanocomposite produced with a commercial 3D printer.

This research result, which overcomes the drawbacks of existing carbon nanocomposites, is expected to be applicable in wearable technology and various robotics fields in the future.

Recently, research on sensors using various functional materials has been actively conducted. Among them, carbon nanocomposites are attracting attention as next-generation sensor materials applicable to sensors requiring flexibility, but they have the disadvantage of requiring complex processes and expensive production equipment. Additionally, despite the high sensitivity of the material, the range of pressure measurement is narrow.

The research team developed a 3D printer filament that makes it easy to produce carbon nanocomposites, which were previously difficult to manufacture, successfully producing carbon nanotube-based composites faster and more cheaply than before. Furthermore, they developed a new sensor using the produced carbon nanocomposite that compensates for the existing drawbacks. The developed sensor increased the number of pressure axes measuring pressure to expand the measurement range and optimized it in various ways, including integration with a sensor that detects temperature. It was manufactured with a hollow structure in the middle, allowing the sensor to flexibly and accurately measure pressure applied from multiple directions.

The research team explained, "By compensating for the drawbacks of existing sensors and incorporating structural advantages, it can be applied to a wide range of fields from wearables requiring low-pressure measurement to robotics requiring a high range of pressure," adding, "Since it is integrated with a temperature sensor, it also has the advantage of enabling more accurate pressure measurement through sensor value correction according to external temperature changes." They also added, "The method for producing functional material filaments secured through this research is expected to be applied to various carbon nanomaterials, conductive materials, ceramic materials, and more in the future."

This research result was published online on the 16th of last month in the international journal 'Composites Part B: Engineering.'

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