Reengineered

Combining Tradition and Technology

Cesar Torres, an assistant professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department, is exploring how to integrate materials like clay, silicone, glass, biomaterials, and textiles with 3D-printing technologies.

Clay 3D printers extrude clay into shapes and textures based on .stl files created by the user; — Clay 3D printers extrude clay into shapes and textures based on .stl files created by the user.

He and his team are establishing a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates site on campus that will allow 10 undergraduate student researchers from around the U.S. to participate in designing and developing the next generation of digital fabrication workflows.

Time-honored processes used by glass and ceramics artist are rarely reflected in today's digital fabrication technologies, but Dr. Torres is looking at them from a design perspective to determine how to integrate the two.

For instance, glass makers use gestures and motions to ensure that everyone knows what's happening throughout the process. Torres and glass research mentor, Justin Ginsberg from the Art and Art History Department, will guide research that places sensors on bodies, clothing, and tools to document the complex motions that occur within UTA's state-of-the-art hot glass workshop. This data will be used to design AI-based learning technologies that provide real-time feedback to novice glass makers.

embroidered pieces use heating circuits made of conductive thread that activates liquid crystal ink to make dynamic color changes. — Embroidered pieces use heating circuits made of conductive thread that activates liquid crystal ink to make dynamic color changes.

Torres also is looking at how materials such as clay and silicon can be used in 3D printing. Printing with clay, for example, allows practitioners to recover from failures with simple clay-forming techniques. Printing with silicone and conductive silicone also offers unique advantages, including wearable, skin-safe, and functional applications. But their use requires leveraging workflows from hobbyist communities, such as soap and candle makers.

"Most people approach manufacturing from an engineering perspective, but there are ways to integrate technology into ancient processes and make manufacturing better," says Torres, who directs The Hybrid Atelier, a creative technology research makerspace. "We are bringing people who are traditionally left out of these conversations in to participate in this interdisciplinary approach to innovation."