LiquiFab is an artistic manifestation of academic research on the construction of optics and architectural structures in space.
The LiquiFab approach transforms a volume of liquid polymer into a desired 3D shape. In contrast to 3D printers, which create structures point by point, LiquiFab uses the natural physics of fluids in a zero-gravity environment to shape the entire liquid at once. Both full and hollow elements can be formed, characterized by extreme smoothness—surpassing the finish quality of conventional polishing methods. The resulting elements can be used independently or as building blocks for larger constructs.
In weightlessness, the method works independently of size—the same structures that are created on a centimeter scale can be created on scales of tens or hundreds of meters.
The exhibit showcases LiquiFab elements created in a neutral buoyancy environment that simulates weightlessness, as well as videos of experiments performed on board the International Space Station.
The Physics Behind LiquiFab
Have you ever seen videos of astronauts playing with their drinking water while floating on board the International Space Station?
When a volume of water floats freely without contacting any other surface, it takes a spherical shape. This is due to the action of surface tension, which seeks to minimize its surface area.
The idea behind LiquiFab is that this volume can now be 'sculpted' into other shapes by bringing it into contact with one or more boundary conditions—surfaces that the liquid contacts. Surface tension immediately acts to minimize the surface area, resulting in a new three-dimensional shape. Using a computer simulation, we can strategically place the boundary conditions to control the shape of the element. To create solid objects, we use photopolymers—liquids that can be easily solidified by exposing them to UV light.
We can also simulate weightlessness conditions on Earth using a trick that is also based on liquids: injecting the polymer into water to which we have added just the right amount of sugar so that the densities of both liquids are equal. Buoyancy then precisely cancels gravity, allowing us to experiment with weightlessness on Earth.
