SurfCuit: Surface Mounted Circuits on 3D Prints

Abstract: We present, SurfCuit, a novel approach to design and construction of electric circuits on the surface of 3D prints. Our surface mounting technique allows durable construction of circuits on the surface of 3D prints. SurfCuit does not require tedious circuit casing design or expensive set-ups, thus we can expedite the process of circuit construction for 3D models. Our technique allows the user to construct complex circuits for consumer-level desktop fused decomposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers. The key idea behind our technique is that FDM plastic forms a strong bond with metal when it is melted. This observation enables construction of a robust circuit traces using copper tape and soldering. We also present an interactive tool to design such circuits on arbitrary 3D geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through various actual construction examples.