One of the projects that came out of our 3D printer project
brainstorming event was the idea of making a machine that can 3D
print electronics. Impatient Inventor and I have decided to
pursue it. If we are successful, then new possibilities are
opened up in design and manufacturing. Instead of figuring out
how to the electronics and mechanical parts separately and
assembling them, you can make a single object that integrates
both. Imagine being able to make anything from multilayer
circuit boards to car doors with integrated wiring on a single
machine. Ideally, the 3D printer would be able to put down
plastic, wiring, and components. To start out, though, we will
make a machine that just puts down wiring and plastic. CNC
gantries and plastic extrusion are solved problems, so we began
by prototyping an electrical wire extruder. We picked up a four
axis router for the gantry and are still looking around for a
good plastic extruder. For our first wiring compound, we chose
solder due to its low melting point and