Waltham, MA

Three-dimensionally Printed Glass Testing

Scope/Solutions

In 2017, SGH collaborated with the MIT Media Lab on an exhibit for Milan Design Week. The exhibit, Glass II, showcased intricately curved columns created with three-dimensionally (3D) printed silicate glass. We helped the team by designing post-tensioning support for the columns and performing physical testing in our Applied Science & Research Center. Looking to advance their research with a new geometry, MIT retained SGH to perform additional testing on 3D-printed glass samples in 2024.

SGH tested nineteen samples to determine the compressive strength of the assembly. Highlights of our work include:

  • Conducting tests on a single glass unit with flat-plate boundaries and on a stacked assembly
  • Testing with wooden and/or aluminum mounts to simulate use-case loading conditions
  • Using a hydraulic testing machine with a 600 kip capacity
  • Targeting a load rate of 1 kip/sec and manually controlling the rate of compression to compensate for deformations as the glass pressed into the mounts
  • Monitoring the load and displacement throughout the testing using data acquisition software

Project Summary

Icon: completion-date

2024

Completion Date
Solutions
Evaluation
Services
Applied Science & Research
Markets
Education
Client(s)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Specialized Capabilities
Materials Science

Key team members

Paul Kassabian
Principal
781.907.9258 pekassabian@sgh.com
Melissa Roth
Applied Science & Research Center Manager
781.907.9441 mjroth@sgh.com
Norman Perkins
Director of Applied Science & Research
781.907.9099 nfperkins@sgh.com
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