ETHAN TOWNSEND
Stern and Kaitlyn Becker ’09, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, drew inspiration for the innovative bricks from their experience as undergraduates in MIT’s renowned Glass Lab.
According to Stern, his fascination with the fabric led him to create a 3D printer capable of extruding molten, recycled glass. “I started pondering ways for glass printing to establish its relevance.”
“As a college student, Becker’s curiosity sparked when delving into the intricate world of designing and manufacturing innovative materials, such as glass, renowned for its captivating optical properties and eco-friendly recyclability.” “While contamination is a concern, glass can theoretically be recycled indefinitely with proper processing.”
Researchers at MIT, led by Becker, Stern, and colleagues Daniel Massimino, SM ’24, Charlotte Folinus ’20, SM ’22, and Ethan Townsend from Evenline, have pioneered a novel examine using a glass printer paired with a furnace to transform crushed glass bottles into a fabric that can be deposited in layered patterns. Researchers printed prototype bricks using soda-lime glass, typically employed in glassblowing studios. Two spherical pegs, identical in design to those found on a traditional Lego brick, enable each unit to seamlessly interlock with others of the same material. A thin layer of material positioned between bricks ensures they don’t scratch or crack, but it can be removed for easy disassembly and recycling. Recycled bricks, when fed into the printer’s system, can be melted and reformed into novel shapes, while the figure-eight design of the prototypes accommodates seamless integration with curved partitioning structures. The group is exploring the possibility of creating more of the interlocking feature through printed glass as well.
