Selective Infrared Sintering of Polymeric Powders using Radiant IR Heating & Ink Jet Printing

Established methods of rapid prototyping by sintering polymeric powders have predominantly focused on the use of lasers to selectively heat the polymeric particles together to form fused layers. Although effective, this route requires the laser to draw in the entire cross section of the slice and this limits the speed of the process, particularly for the production of thick walled parts. The use of IR radiant lamps to fuse an entire layer simultaneously has been explored by several groups and is now the basis of at least one commercially available process (Speed Part). An alternative route, developed by the Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Group (RPMG) at DeMonfort University, where areas of the powder bed are selectively treated to promote absorption by particular IR radiation will be described in this paper. The advantages of this approach and the limitations which must be overcome through further research will be fully discussed.Mechanical Engineerin

Laser Printing of Polymeric Materials

Electrophotography, the basis of photocopying and laser printing, is a reliable and well developed method of precisely depositing fine powders to form text or images. The process is highly adaptable to different types of materials; commercial toners are based on particular polymers but researchers have already shown the potential to deposit other materials including metals and ceramics. Once the powder layer has been deposited it can be heated to form a fused layer. This paper describes research conducted at DeMontfort University to develop a range of toners based on conventional engineering polymers and concludes by outlinning the challenges which will be tackled in the next phase of research.Mechanical Engineerin

A Framework for Designing Compassionate and Ethical Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Consciousness

Intelligence and consciousness have fascinated humanity for a long time and we have long sought to replicate this in machines. In this work, we show some design principles for a compassionate and conscious artificial intelligence. We present a computational framework for engineering intelligence, empathy, and consciousness in machines. We hope that this framework will allow us to better understand consciousness and design machines that are conscious and empathetic. Our hope is that this will also shift the discussion from fear of artificial intelligence towards designing machines that embed our cherished values. Consciousness, intelligence, and empathy would be worthy design goals that can be engineered in machines