MakerBot Industries

Wait, that's not a football play?

The other day I uploaded a design for a printable battery.  I think the concept behind the design, a watertight vessel for holding an electrolyte with spaces for two anodes, is sound.  However, I’m certain the design is sub-optimal.  You can find better anodes than copper and zinc and a better electrolyte than a saline solution. ¹

I just really like the idea of a printable battery.  It reminds me of the Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future – just toss some stuff in and fire it up.  I’d love to see a flashlight, clip on reading LED, or water throwie that uses this kind of printable power.  Print, insert electrodes, throw in saltwater, glow!  Or, what about a piece of ornament or jewelery that you can empty, toss into a saltwater solution, recharge, and keep rocking?  Or toys that you assemble, dunk in salt water² , and it just works.  Or printing a toy that requires batteries – and then handing printed batteries to the recipient?

I’m hoping that someone better versed in chemistry or materials science³ can improve the heck out of this design.  I can think of several ways to improve this design:

• A version that can work with galvanized nails instead of zinc sheets – so you can make it instantly useable with stuff around the house.
• A version that includes a screw cap, and perhaps room for a gasket, so it can be easily “recharged.”
• A version intended to house better anode materials or better electrolyte solution.
• A version that includes a better way to attach the leads to the battery.  Right now it just has holes where the leads are inserted.  All it would take is a drop of ABS glue or acetone to seal the plastic around the lead.
• A version that includes ribs that separate the zinc anode from the internal copper coil.  The argument against a barrier between the two anodes is that it will not offer any barrier to the electrolyte.  However, if you include a barrier it will prevent the two anodes from touching one another accidentally inside the battery – but thin enough to allow the electrolyte to pass through easily.  The reason I didn’t design this first draft with a barrier or ribs is that it would take a really well tuned ‘bot to print it without strings.
• I’m pretty sure that the overall power of the battery could be increased by wiring copper and zinc electrodes in series and dunking each section into a separate electrolyte solution.

Chemistry and electronics are not my strong suits – I’m hoping that others can help correct and expand upon these ideas.

1. Check out this website for more information about using a variety of materials to make batteries. [↩]
2. Or vinegar? [↩]
3. I’m looking at you Capolight! [↩]