Group Members


Samantha Fong
Sam is an architectural engineer from Elk Grove, CA with a background in dentistry. After university, she plans to return to her birth country Hong Kong and focus on public works projects and the preservation of historical buildings.
email: sf628@drexel.edu

Eric Thaddeus Kirchgessner
Eric Kirchgessner is currently attending Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems in Philadelphia, PA.
email: etk33@drexel.edu

Kyle Moynahan
Kyle Moynahan is a freshman chemical engineer from Ambler, PA. He enjoys chemistry and working with electronics. In his spare time, he is also a beekeeper and a potter.
email: kjm425@drexel.edu

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Week 3

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The design of the coating chamber was designed to allow the carbon fiber line to pass through it where the molten PEI flows from the hopper to coat the fiber.  Figure 1. bottom of the chamber; carbon fiber is pulled from conical opening into the chamber where it is coated with PEI and pulled through Figure 2. top of the chamber; slanted opening on top allows PEI to be delivered into the chamber from the hopper attached on top Figure 3.  printed and assembled chamber with fitted hopper The prototype of the chamber and hopper are printed with ABS filament on a standard 3D printer. Because the material is not conducive to heat, our initial trials will be conducted with fishing line and a semi-flexible material with either a low melting point or a fast drying time.
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Week 7

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Testing using the ABS prototype has continued with good results. The data continues to align with the theory that suggests a relationship between coating diameter and nozzle diameter. Our data analysis has brought forth an issue with our testing apparatus that is currently being investigated. The paint we have been using is water based; this means that while the paint dries, the diameter shrinks due to water evaporation. The percent solid that remains is not 100%, as it would be if the strand were coated with melted thermoplastic. To compensate for this in our data, we must identify how much water is lost when the paint dries. The water loss will be measured by weighing a sample of paint right out of the container, and again after it has completely dried. Once this is complete and accounted for in our calculations, our data can be further analyzed. Our prediction is an even more accurate proof of concept. Earlier this week, our melting chamber design was finalized and sent to two...
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Week 8

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Week eight began the first week of testing with the carbon fiber and PEI in our assembled melting chamber (seen in Figures 1 and 2). We began regulating the temperature of the melting chamber at 216 degrees Celsius, increasing the temperature by 5 degrees every ten minutes. An hour into testing, the pellets of PEI still had not melted, despite our insulation and the thermocouple registering temperatures in the 240-255 degree range. We increased our temperature drastically to 380 degrees, but because of the arrangement of the metal pipes, it was impossible to determine if the PEI in the chamber was actually melting effectively. Figure 1: assembled melting chamber, uninsulated Figure 2: assembled melting chamber, uninsulated, top view Our method of insulation was to wrap vinyl-backed fibreglass sheets around the body of the melting chamber. According to the thermocouple, which was registering temperatures higher than the heater setting, the insulation was effective. Unfortu...
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