3D Printing
3D Printing is also known as
additive manufacturing, refers to various processes
used to synthesize a
three-dimensional
object. In three d printing, successive
layers of material are formed under
computer control to create an object. These objects can be of almost any
shape or
geometry and are produced from a
3D Model or other electronic data source. A 3D
printer is a type of industrial
robot.

3D Scanner is a device that analyses a
real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly
its appearance (e.g. colour). The collected data can then be used to
construct digital three-dimensional models.
2D -
4D.
3D Modeling is the process of developing a
mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of an object, either inanimate or living, via specialized software.
3D Printing Processes available tend to be additive in nature with a
few key differences in the technologies and the materials used in this
process. Some of the different types of physical transformations which are
used in 3D printing include melt extrusion, light polymerization,
continuous liquid interface production and sintering.
3D Printing (video)
Prototype -
Design Software -
Molding -
Engineering -
Body Parts
3-D Printing offers new approach to making Buildings. Technology
developed at MIT could enable faster, cheaper, more adaptable building
construction.
Brick Houses -
3D House Concrete Printer.
A double twist makes cracking easier to resist. Additive
manufacturing, precision robotics and architected design markedly increase
crack resistance in
concrete. Researchers were inspired by the double-helical structures
that make up the scales of an ancient fish lineage called
coelacanths. To generate these mechanical properties, the researchers
proposed a design that arranges concrete into individual strands in three
dimensions. The design uses robotic additive manufacturing to weakly
connect each strand to its neighbor. The researchers used different design
schemes to combine many stacks of strands into larger functional shapes,
such as beams.
3D Light Printer -
3D Printing with Light3D Printing is not a
disruptive innovation, it's more of
a
productive
innovation that offers more options and more convenience. 3D printing is
like small farms. Small farms make a big difference, but not in the same
way as big farms do. We need small farms, but we also need some big farms
too.
Volumetric Printing is a three-dimensional digital-to-physical imaging
technology developed in 2013 that uses ink or other pigments suspended in
a volume to form a full-color volumetric scene in physical space. It is a
static version of volumetric display. Volumetric prints are
auto-stereoscopic, full parallax (in both horizontal and vertical viewing
arrangements) and can be viewed by multiple viewers in regular room
lighting. A volumetric print can be thought of as a reconstructed light
field based on the scattering of light by distributed pigments in volume.
Any three-dimensional scene can be volumetrically printed, although
biological specimens and volumetrically X-rayed objects (i.e., CT scans)
are thought to be particularly well suited to this type of imaging. There
are several methods for producing a volumetric print, the most common
being an index-matched stack of hundreds of sheets of thin clear material
(most often PMMA, also known as Lucite or acrylic). Each sheet in the
volumetric stack is printed with a color slice of a digital 3D model,
placed in a vacuum chamber, and then injected with a fluid matching the
index of refraction of the sheet material. Volumetric printing has been
called "Hologram 2.0" by a company marketing the technology. Volumetric
prints however are not produced in the same manner as holograms, in that
there is no interference pattern generated or used in basic volumetric
prints.
Topology Optimization is a mathematical method that optimizes material
layout within a given design space, for a given set of loads, boundary
conditions and constraints with the goal of maximizing the performance of
the system. TO is different from shape optimization and sizing
optimization in the sense that the design can attain any shape within the
design space, instead of dealing with predefined configurations. The
conventional TO formulation uses a finite element method (FEM) to evaluate
the
design performance.
The design is optimized using either gradient-based mathematical
programming techniques such as the optimality criteria algorithm and the
method of moving asymptotes or non gradient-based algorithms such as
genetic algorithms. Topology Optimization has a wide range of applications
in aerospace, mechanical, bio-chemical and civil engineering. Currently,
engineers mostly use TO at the concept level of a design process. Due to
the free forms that naturally occur, the result is often difficult to
manufacture. For that reason the result emerging from TO is often
fine-tuned for manufacturability. Adding constraints to the formulation in
order to increase the manufacturability is an active field of research. In
some cases results from TO can be directly manufactured using additive
manufacturing; TO is thus a key part of design for additive manufacturing.
Shape Optimization is part of the field of optimal control theory. The
typical problem is to find the shape which is optimal in that it minimizes
a certain cost functional while satisfying given constraints. In many
cases, the functional being solved depends on the solution of a given
partial differential equation defined on the
variable domain.
Voxel
represents a value on a regular grid in three-dimensional space. As with
pixels in a 2D bitmap, voxels themselves do not typically have their
position (i.e. coordinates) explicitly encoded with their values. Instead,
rendering systems infer the position of a voxel based upon its position
relative to other voxels (i.e., its position in the data structure that
makes up a single volumetric image). In contrast to pixels and voxels,
polygons are often explicitly represented by the coordinates of their
vertices (as points). A direct consequence of this difference is that
polygons can efficiently represent simple 3D structures with much empty or
homogeneously filled space, while voxels excel at representing regularly
sampled spaces that are non-homogeneously filled. Voxels are frequently
used in the visualization and analysis of medical and scientific data
(e.g. GIS). Some volumetric displays use voxels to describe their
resolution. For example, a cubic volumetric display might be able to show
512×512×512 voxels. The word voxel originated analogously to the word
"pixel", with vo representing "volume" and el representing "element";
similar formations with el for "element" include the words "pixel" and "texel".
One of the definitions is: "Voxel is an image of a three-dimensional space
region limited by given sizes, which has its own nodal point coordinates
in an accepted coordinate system, its own form, its own state parameter
that indicates its belonging to some modeled object, and has properties of
modeled region." This definition has the following advantage. If fixed
voxel form is used within the whole model it is much easier to operate
with voxel nodal points, i.e. three coordinates of this point. Yet, there
is the simple form of record – indexes of the elements in the model set,
i.e. integer coordinates. Model set elements in this case are state
parameters, indicating voxel belonging to the modeled object or its
separate parts, including their surfaces.
Boundary Value Problem is a differential equation together with a set
of additional constraints, called the boundary conditions. A solution to a
boundary value problem is a solution to the differential equation which
also satisfies the boundary conditions.
Overprinting refers to the process of printing one
color on top of
another in reprographics. This is closely linked to the reprographic
technique of 'trapping'. Another use of overprinting is to create a rich
black (often regarded as a colour that is "blacker than black") by
printing black over another dark colour.
Reprography is the
reproduction of
graphics
through mechanical or electrical means, such as photography or xerography.
Reprography is commonly used in catalogs and archives, as well as in the
architectural, engineering, and construction industries.
Comparative study of gelatin methacrylate hydrogels from different sources
for biofabrication applications.
The King of 3D
printing materials? Polymaker PolyMax PC REVIEW (youtube)
Polycarbonate are a group of
thermoplastic polymers
containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates
used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are
optically transparent. They are easily worked, molded, and thermoformed.
Because of these properties, polycarbonates find many applications.
Polycarbonates do not have a unique resin identification code (RIC) and
are identified as "Other", 7 on the RIC list. Upper working temperature:
115–130 °C (239–266 °F) / Lower working temperature: -40 °C (-40 °F) /
Linear thermal expansion coefficient (a): 65–70 × 10-6/K / Heat deflection
temperature: 0.45 MPa: 140 °C (284 °F); 1.8 MPa: 128–138 °C (262–280 °F) /
Thermal conductivity (k) at 23 °C: 0.19–0.22 W/(m·K).
3D Print File Extension:
STL Files are a standard file type that interfaces between
Computer Aided Design
(CAD) software and 3D printers.
OBJ is an open file format that represents 3D geometry.
VRML (or
WRL) files are commonly used when a 3D model has color and you want to
transfer that color to the print.
One Off is something that is created only
once, and often quickly, simply, or
improvisationally. Occurring once,
one-time, independent of any pattern. Being singular, unique and special.
Carbon 3D - New Type of 3D
Printing.
uArm Swift: Your Personal
Robotic Assistant
Stepper Motor is a brushless
DC Electric Motor that divides a full
rotation into a number of equal steps. The motor's position can then be
commanded to move and hold at one of these steps without any feedback
sensor (an open-loop controller), as long as the motor is carefully sized
to the application in respect to torque and speed. Switched reluctance
motors are very large stepping motors with a reduced pole count, and generally are closed-loop commutated.
Highest throughput 3D printer is the future of manufacturing. Rapid
manufacturing on-demand could make parts-warehousing and expensive molds a
thing of the past. Researchers have developed a new, futuristic 3D printer
that is so big and so fast it can print an object the size of an adult
human in just a couple of hours. The prototype HARP technology is 13-feet
tall with a 2.5 square-foot print bed and can print about half a yard in
an hour -- a record throughput for the 3D printing field. This means it
can print single, large parts or many different small parts at once.
New high-speed microscale 3D printing technique. A new process for
microscale 3D printing creates particles of nearly any shape for
applications in medicine, manufacturing, research and more -- at the pace
of up to 1 million particles a day.
Printing tiny,
high-precision objects in a matter of seconds (youtube) - Researchers
at
EPFL have
developed a new, high-precision method for 3D-printing small, soft
objects.
Avoiding Defects during Additive Manufacturing. Research reveals how
pores form during metals additive manufacturing and become defects trapped
in solidifying metal. The practical value of this research is that it can
inform industry on how to predict and improve 3D printing processes. Laser
powder bed fusion is a dominant additive manufacturing technology that has
yet to reach its potential. The problem facing industry is that tiny
bubbles or pores sometimes form during the printing process, and these
pores create weak spots in finished products.
New 3D-printing method
makes printing objects more affordable and eco-friendly.
Additive manufacturing Algorithms Making new technology faster and cheaper.
The software's algorithm automatically determines a part's sections and
the sections' orientations. From this, the software designates when each
section will be printed, and in which orientation within the printing
sequence. The algorithm can help inform a designer's process plan to
manufacture a part. It allows designers opportunities to make corrections
or alter the design before printing, which can positively affect cost. The
algorithm can also inform a designer how feasible a part may be to create
using support-free manufacturing.
New 3D printing process is faster and more precise than conventional
methods. Engineers have created a way to 3D print large and complex
parts at a fraction of the cost of current methods. The new approach,
called
Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication
or MF3, uses a single gantry, the sliding structure on a 3D printer, to
print individual or multiple parts simultaneously. By programming their
prototype to move in efficient patterns, and by using a series of small
nozzles - rather than a single large nozzle, as is common in conventional
printing - to deposit molten material, the researchers were able to
increase printing resolution and size as well as significantly decrease
printing time. The 3D-printing industry has struggled with what is known
as the throughput-resolution tradeoff - the speed at which 3D printers
deposit material versus the resolution of the finished product.
Larger-diameter nozzles are faster than smaller ones but generate more
ridges and contours that must be smoothed out later, adding significant
post-production costs. By contrast, smaller nozzles deposit material with
greater resolution, but current methods with conventional software are too
slow to be cost effective. At the heart of MF3's innovation is its
software. To program a 3D printer, engineers use a software tool called a
slicer - computer code that maps an object into the virtual "slices," or
layers, that will be printed. Rutgers researchers wrote slicer software
that optimized the gantry arm's movement and determined when the nozzles
should be turned on and off to achieve the highest efficiency. MF3's new "toolpath
strategy" makes it possible to "concurrently print multiple, geometrically
distinct, non-contiguous parts of varying sizes" using a single printer,
the researchers wrote in their study.
3D-Printed Material to replace ivory. A new material called 'Digory'
has been developed, which can be processed in 3D printers and is extremely
similar to ivory. It can be used to restore old ivory artifacts.
Why 3D Printing
Batteries Matters (youtube) -
Solid
State Batteries.
3D printed nanomagnets unveil a world of patterns in the magnetic field.
Researchers have created DNA-like magnetic nanostructures that form strong
inter-helix magnetic bonds. These produce topological textures in the
magnetic field, opening the door to the next generation of magnetic
devices, and patterning magnetic fields on the
nanoscale.
Nanomaterials: 3D printing of glass without sintering. A new process
enables printing of nanometer-scale quartz glass structures directly onto
semiconductor chips. A hybrid organic-inorganic polymer resin is used as
feedstock material for 3D printing of silicon dioxide. Since the process
works without sintering, the required temperatures are significantly
lower. Simultaneously, increased resolution enables visible-light
nanophotonics.
Algorithm learns to correct 3D printing errors for different parts,
materials and systems. Engineers have created intelligent 3D printers that
can quickly detect and correct errors, even in previously unseen designs,
or unfamiliar materials like ketchup and mayonnaise, by learning from the
experiences of other machines.
3D-printed revolving devices can sense how they are moving.
Researchers created a system that enables makers to incorporate sensors
directly into rotational mechanisms with only one pass in a 3D printer.
This gives rotational mechanisms like gearboxes the ability to sense their
angular position, rotation speed, and direction of rotation. Integrating
sensors into rotational mechanisms could make it possible for engineers to
build smart hinges that know when a door has been opened, or gears inside
a motor that tell a mechanic how fast they are rotating. MIT engineers
have now developed a way to easily integrate sensors into these types of
mechanisms, with 3D printing.
Reversible 3D Printing method is sustainable and uses minimal
ingredients and steps. A new 3D printing method developed by engineers is
so simple that it uses a polymer ink and salt water solution to create
solid structures. The work has the potential to make materials
manufacturing more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The process
uses a liquid polymer solution known as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), or
PNIPAM for short. When this PNIPAM ink is extruded through a needle into a
calcium chloride salt solution, it instantly solidifies as it makes
contact with the salt water. Researchers used this process to print solid
structures with ease.
Researchers 3D print sensors for satellites. Cheap and quick to
produce, these digitally manufactured plasma sensors could help scientists
predict the weather or study climate change. Researchers demonstrated a
3D-printed plasma sensor for satellites that works just as well as the
expensive semiconductor sensors that take weeks of intricate fabrication
in a cleanroom. These durable, precise sensors could be used on CubeSats,
which are commonly utilized for environmental monitoring or weather
prediction. These plasma sensors, also known as retarding potential
analyzers (RPAs), are used by satellites to determine the chemical
composition and ion energy distribution of the atmosphere.
Metal 3D Printing
How Metal 3D Printing Works (youtube) -
3D Printing Metal in Midair (youtube)
Markforge Metal x 3D
Printer.
3
Dimensional Services Group.
Desktop Metal
3D metal printing systems from prototyping to mass production.
Metal 3D Printing
Systems for the full product life cycle – from prototyping to mass production.
Atomized Metal Powders,
or
Powder Metallurgy for Additive Manufacturing.
The
Largest Metal 3D Printer in the world. Built for rockets.
3D Printing from 2D Objects
Photogrammetry is the art and science of making measurements from
photographs, especially for
recovering the exact positions of surface points. Photogrammetric analysis
may be applied to one photograph, or may use
high-speed photography and
remote sensing
to detect, measure and record complex 2-D and 3-D motion fields by feeding
measurements and imagery analysis into
computational models
in an attempt to successively estimate, with increasing accuracy, the
actual, 3-D relative motions. From its beginning with the stereoplotters
used to plot contour lines on
topographic maps, it now has a very wide
range of uses such as
sonar, radar, and
lidar.
Stereoplotter uses stereo photographs to determine
elevations. It has been the primary
method to plot contour lines on topographic maps since the 1930s.
Stereo-Lithography
is a form of 3-D printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using
photopolymerization, a process by which light causes
chains of molecules to link together, forming
polymers,
which are large
molecules, or macromolecules, composed of many repeated subunits.
HARP or
High-Area Rapid Printing, is a new technology that enables a
record-breaking throughput that can manufacture products on demand. This
means it can print single, large parts or many different small parts at
once.
Computed Axial Lithography is a method for 3D printing based on
computerized tomography scans to create objects from photo-curable resin.
Computed axial lithography does not build models through depositing layers
of material, as fused deposition modelling and stereolithography does,
instead it creates objects using a series of 2D images projected onto a
cylinder of resin. It is notable for its ability to build object much more
quickly than other methods using resins and the ability to embed objects within the objects.
Image
Plane is that plane in the world which is identified with the plane of
the
display monitor used to view the image that is being rendered. It is
also referred to as screen space. If one makes the analogy of taking a
photograph to rendering a 3D image, the surface of the film is the image
plane. In this case, the viewing transformation is a projection that maps
the world onto the image plane. A rectangular region of this plane, called
the viewing window or viewport, maps to the monitor. This establishes the
mapping between pixels on the monitor and points (or rather, rays) in the
3D world. The plane is not usually an actual
geometric object in a 3D
scene, but instead is usually a collection of target coordinates or
dimensions that are used during the rasterization process so the final
output can be displayed as intended on the physical screen. In
optics, the
image plane is the plane that contains the object's projected image, and
lies beyond the back focal plane.
Graphics Pipeline is a conceptual model that describes what steps a
graphics system needs to perform to render a 3D scene to a 2D screen.
Projection Plane is a type of view in which graphical projections from
an object intersect.
Projection planes are used often in descriptive
geometry and graphical representation. A picture plane in perspective
drawing is a type of projection plane. With perspective drawing, the lines
of sight, or projection lines, between an object and a picture plane
return to a
vanishing point and are not parallel. With parallel projection
the lines of sight from the object to the projection plane are parallel.
Parallel Projection is a projection of an object in
three-dimensional
space onto a fixed plane, known as the projection plane or image plane,
where the rays, known as lines of sight or projection lines, are parallel
to each other. It is a basic tool in descriptive geometry. The projection
is called
orthographic if the rays are perpendicular (orthogonal) to the
image plane, and oblique or skew if they are not.
Magic with D
Printer! (youtube) - Have you ever wondered if a model can be created
from an Image? In this video, you will see it actually happen using 3D
Printing process right from the design to end product.
Cool Things that can be 3D Printed
3D Printed Glass. 3D printing of chalcogenide glass could enable
low-cost manufacturing of complex optical components for telecom and sensing applications.
Chalcogenide Glass is a glass containing one or more chalcogens
(sulfur, selenium and tellurium, but excluding oxygen). Such glasses are
covalently bonded materials and may be classified as covalent network
solids. Polonium is also a chalcogen but is not used because of its strong
radioactivity. Chalcogenide materials behave rather differently from
oxides, in particular their lower band gaps contribute to very dissimilar
optical and electrical properties.
MIT 3D Print With Glass (video)
3-D Printed Polymer turns Methane to Methanol
eora 3D - High-precision 3D Scanning
Borromean Hairpins
(youtube)
AxiDraw V3 Robotic
Pen (video)
Velikonocni prani - EggBot - Happy Easter (youtube)
Smart Ink adds New Dimensions to 3-D Printing. New smart ink turns
3-D-printed structures into objects that can change shape and color.
Scientists Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures. Reconfigurable material
could be used for liquid electronics and chemical synthesis, among
other applications.
3-D Imaging of Excited Quantum Dots.
Cheap 3-D Printer can produce Self-Folding Materials.
3-D Printing of Millimeter-sized Imaging Lenses. The method could
impact optical imaging, vision correction, and disease diagnosis.
Fabricating Optically Active Structures -
Advanced Materials.
3D Printed Tires and Shoes that Self-Repair. The material is
manufactured using a 3D printing method that uses photopolymerization.
This process uses light to solidify a liquid resin in a desired shape or
geometry. To make it
self-healable, they had to dive a little deeper into the chemistry
behind the material.
Photopolymerization is achieved through a reaction with a certain
chemical group called
thiols.
By adding an oxidizer to the equation, thiols transform into another group
called disulfides. It is the disulfide group that is able to reform when
broken, leading to the self-healing ability. Finding the right ratio
between these two groups was the key to unlocking the materials' unique
properties. When we gradually increase the
oxidant, the self-healing
behavior becomes stronger, but the photopolymerization behavior becomes
weaker. In just 5 seconds, they can print a 17.5-millimeter square,
completing whole objects in around 20 minutes that can repair themselves
in just a few hours. After being cut in half, in just two hours at 60
degrees Celsius (four for the electronics due to the carbon used to
transmit electricity) they healed completely, retaining their strength and
function. The repair time can be decreased just by raising the
temperature. We actually show that under different temperatures -- from 40
degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius -- the material can heal to almost
100 percent.
Magnetic 3D-Printed structures crawl, roll, and jump. New printing
technique could be used to develop remotely controlled biomedical devices,
a spider-like 'grabber' that can crawl, roll, jump, and snap together fast
enough to catch a passing ball.
Flexible Circuits for 3D Printing. A research cooperation has
developed a process suitable for 3D printing that can be used to produce
transparent and mechanically flexible electronic circuits. The technique
can enable new applications such as printable light-emitting diodes, solar
cells or tools with integrated circuits, as the scientists report in the
journal Scientific Reports. The researchers are demonstrating the
potential of their process with a flexible capacitor, among other things.
3D-printed plastics with high performance electrical circuits.
Innovation could lead to better drones, satellites, biomedical devices.
M3D Pro: Feature-Packed 3D Printer for Reliability. Professional 3D
Printer that bridges the gap between power users and consumers.
Fast Radius -
Big Rep -
3D Printing
Industry News
New 4-D Printer could one day allow manufacturers to produce
electronic devices and their wiring in a single process.
3D printing can now manufacture customized sensors for robots, pacemakers,
and more. A newly-developed 3D printing technique could be used to
cost-effectively produce customized electronic 'machines'
the size of insects which enable advanced
applications in robotics, medical devices and others. The breakthrough
could be a potential game-changer for
smaller volume manufacturing
of customized chip-based
microelectromechanical systems or MEMS.
Eco-friendly 3D Concrete Printing. A blueprint for building the
future. Scientists are improving 3D
concrete printing
construction technology with rigorous research to make printable
materials stronger, more sustainable and better performing.
3-D Printed Body Parts
3D
Bioprinting is the process of
creating cell patterns in a confined
space using 3D printing technologies, where cell function and viability
are preserved within the printed construct. Generally, 3D bioprinting
utilizes the layer-by-layer method to deposit materials known as Bioinks
create tissue-like structures that are later used in medical and tissue
engineering field. Bioprinting covers a broad range of materials.
Currently, bioprinting can be used to print tissues and organs to help
research drugs and pills. In addition, 3D bioprinting has begun to
incorporate the
printing of scaffolds. These scaffolds can be used to
regenerate joints and ligaments. The first patent related to this
technology was filed in the United States in 2003 and granted in 2006.
3D Bioprinting
is the manufacturing of tissue or organ models by printing hydrogel seeded
with live cells. Compared to non-biological printing, 3D bioprinting is
more complex due to the choice of materials, cell types, growth and
differentiation factors, and technical challenge related to the
sensitivity of living cells and the complexities of functional
tissues/organs.
In-Vitro -
Synthetic Biology -
Biomimicry -
Artificial DNA Gene Synthesis
3D Printing of Living Cells using a new technique they call ‘in-air
microfluidics’.
Microfluidics is all about manipulating tiny drops of fluid with sizes
between a micrometer and a millimeter.
3D Bioprinted Human Cartilage Cells can be Implanted -
Robotics (surgery) -
3D printing with living organisms (youtube)
Organism Printer can
produce living tissue, bone, blood vessels and, potentially, whole organs
for use in medical procedures, training and testing. 3D bioprinting is an
additive manufacturing process that uses bioinks to print living cells
developing structures layer-by-layer which imitate the behavior and
structures of natural tissues.
Synthia
retrosynthesis software enables scientists to quickly find and
easily navigate innovative and novel pathways for novel and published
target molecules.
3D-printed blood vessels bring
artificial organs closer to reality. New printing method creates
branching vessels in heart tissue that replicate the structure of human
vasculature
in vitro. Lab-grown organs
are a long-time 'holy grail' of organ engineering that has yet to be
achieved, but new research has brought that goal a big step closer to
reality using a new
3D-printing method called co-SWIFT. co-SWIFT prints branching networks
of double-layered vessels that are infused with smooth muscle cells and
endothelial cells into living human cardiac tissue, and can even replicate
patient-specific vascular structures, indicating that it could one day be
used for
personalized
medicine.
Artificial Organ is a human made organ device or tissue that is
implanted or integrated into a human — interfacing with living tissue — to
replace a natural organ, to duplicate or augment a specific function or
functions so the patient may return to a normal life as soon as possible.
The replaced function does not have to be related to life support, but it
often is. For example, replacement bones and joints, such as those found
in hip replacements, could also be considered artificial organs.
Lab Grown Meat.
3-D Printed Body Parts. 3-D printed microfibers could provide
structure for artificially grown body parts. Stem-cell-loaded hydrogels
reinforced with fibers like the rebar in cement can grow living cells in
defined patterns and eventually the fibers will dissolve and go away. If
we could multiplex electrospinning with a collagen gel and bioprinting, we
could build large and complex tissue interfaces, such as bone to
cartilage. Low-cost and efficient method to fabricate high-resolution and
repeatable 3-D polymer fiber patterns on nonconductive materials for
tissue engineering with available hobbyist-grade 3-D printers. The method
they use is a combination of 3-D printing and electrospinning, a method
that uses electric charge to spin nanometer threads from either a polymer
melt or solution. printer can deposit a precise pattern of fibers in three
dimensions to form a scaffold in a hydrogel on which cells can grow. Once
the tissue has grown sufficiently, the scaffolding can be dissolved,
leaving only a structured tissue appropriate for use. If two different
tissues -- muscle and tendon -- are needed, the 3-D printer can alter the
pattern of threads in such a way that the transition could be seamless
with the appropriate cells, resulting in a naturally formed, two-part
tissue replacement.
Organ Bioprinting gets a breath of fresh air. Bioengineers have
cleared a major hurdle on the path to 3D printing replacement organs. It's
a breakthrough technique for bioprinting tissues with exquisitely
entangled vascular networks that mimic the body's natural passageways for
blood, air, lymph and other vital fluids.
3D printing produces programmable living materials using synthetic biology.
Scientists are harnessing cells to make new types of materials that can
grow, repair themselves and even respond to their environment. These solid
'engineered living materials' are made by embedding cells in an inanimate
matrix that's formed in a desired shape. Now, researchers have 3D printed
a bioink containing plant cells that were then genetically modified,
producing programmable materials. Applications could someday include
biomanufacturing and sustainable construction.
Scientists develop 3D printing method that shows promise for repairing
brain injuries. Researchers have produced an engineered tissue
representing a simplified cerebral cortex by 3D printing human
stem cells. When implanted into
mouse brain slices, the structures became integrated with the host tissue.
The technique may ultimately be developed into tailored repairs to treat
brain injuries.
Wound Healing -
Self Healing Space Ships
3D architected materials that adapt and protect. Experiments have
yielded a fascinating new type of matter, neither granular nor
crystalline, that responds to some stresses as a fluid would and to others
like a solid. The new material, known as PAM or
polycatenated architected materials could have uses in areas ranging
from helmets and other protective gear to biomedical devices and robotics.
Bioprinting functional human heart tissue. Researchers have developed
a way of bioprinting tissues that change shape as a result of
cell-generated forces, in the same way that it happens in biological
tissues during organ development. The breakthrough science focused on
replicating heart tissues,
bringing research closer to generating functional, bioprinted organs,
which would have broad applications in disease modelling, drug screening
and
regenerative medicine.
3D Printed Ear. Researchers produce grafts that replicate the
human
ear. Using state-of-the-art tissue engineering techniques and a 3D
printer, researchers have assembled a replica of an adult
human
ear that
looks and feels natural. The study offers the promise of grafts with
well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those
who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life.
Cartilage.
Bio-Ink
are substances made of living cells that can be used for 3D printing of
complex tissue models. Bioinks are materials that mimic an extracellular
matrix environment to support the adhesion, proliferation, and
differentiation of living cells. Bioinks distinguish themselves from
traditional biomaterials such as hydrogels,
polymer networks, and
foam scaffolds due to their ability to be deposited as filaments during an
additive manufacturing process. Additionally, unlike traditional additive
manufacturing materials such as thermoplastic polymers, ceramics, and
metals which require the use of harsh solvents, cross-linking modalities
and high temperatures to be printed, bioinks are processed under much
milder conditions. These mild conditions are necessary to preserve
compatibility with
living cells, and
prevent degradation of bioactive molecules and macroproteins. These
bioinks are often adopted from existing hydrogel biomaterials and derived
from natural polymers such as gelatins, alginates, fibrin, chitosan, and
hyaluronic acids that are sensitive to their processing conditions. Unlike
the thermoplastics that are often utilized in traditional 3D printing, the
chain entanglements and ionic interactions within the hydrogel-like bioink
rather than temperature dominate shape fidelity. The natural derivation of
many bioinks often results in a high water content and sensitivity to
harsh processing conditions. Therefore, bioink filaments are often
deposited at or below human body temperature and under mild conditions to
preserve bioink printability. Additional considerations must be taken into
account when printing bioinks blended with a cell suspension due to the
need to preserve cell viability. Differences from traditional 3D printing
materials. Printed at a much lower temperature (37 °C or below). Mild
cross-linking conditions. Natural derivation. Bioactive. Cell
manipulatable.
3-D Printing creates Super Soft Structures that Replicate Brain and Lungs.
Scientists Print first 3D Heart using patient's biological materials.
Engineered heart completely matches the immunological, cellular,
biochemical and anatomical properties of the patient.
New method promises advances in 3D printing, manufacturing and biomedical
applications. Researchers have created a method to precisely create
droplets using a jet of liquid. The technique allows manufacturers to
quickly generate drops of material, finely control their size and locate
them within a 3D space.
Engineered Tissue Folding by Mechanical Compaction of the Mesenchyme.
Many tissues fold into complex shapes during development. Controlling this
process in vitro would represent an important advance for tissue
engineering. We use embryonic tissue explants, finite element modeling,
and 3D cell-patterning techniques to show that mechanical compaction of
the extracellular matrix during mesenchymal condensation is sufficient to
drive tissue folding along programmed trajectories. The process requires
cell contractility, generates strains at tissue interfaces, and causes
patterns of collagen alignment around and between condensates. Aligned
collagen fibers support elevated tensions that promote the folding of
interfaces along paths that can be predicted by modeling. We demonstrate
the robustness and versatility of this strategy for sculpting tissue
interfaces by directing the morphogenesis of a variety of folded tissue
forms from patterns of mesenchymal condensates. These studies provide
insight into the active mechanical properties of the embryonic mesenchyme
and establish engineering strategies for more robustly directing tissue
morphogenesis ex vivo.
New Printing Technique uses cells and molecules to recreate Biological
Structures.
New 3D Printer can create complex Biological Tissues.
Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons. For the first time,
researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones,
ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser
scanning technique. The new technology makes it possible to 3D print
special plastics with elastic qualities in one go. This opens up
completely new possibilities for the production of soft robotic
structures.
3D-Printed Femur. Researchers aim to get leg up on bone repair.
Mechanical engineers designed a 3D-printed femur that could help doctors
prepare for surgeries to repair bones and develop treatments for bone
tumors. The study, which focused on the middle section of the bone,
establishes 3D-printing parameters for a femur for use in biomechanical
testing. Researchers said more studies will be needed before the
technology could be available for widespread use.
Infection-resistant, 3D-printed metals developed for implants. A novel
surgical implant was able to kill 87% of the bacteria that cause staph
infections in laboratory tests, while remaining strong and compatible with
surrounding tissue like current implants. The work could someday lead to
better infection control in many common surgeries, such as hip and knee
replacements, that are performed daily around the world. Bacterial
colonization of the implants is one of the leading causes of their failure
and bad outcomes after surgery. Using 3D-printing technology, the
researchers added 10% tantalum, a corrosion-resistant metal, and 3% copper
to the titanium alloy typically used in implants. When bacteria come into
contact with the material's copper surface, almost all of their cell walls
rupture. Meanwhile, the tantalum encourages healthy cell growth with
surrounding bone and tissue leading to expedited healing for the patient.
Electrospinning
is a fiber production method which uses electric force to draw charged
threads of polymer solutions or polymer melts up to fiber diameters in the
order of some hundred nanometers. Electrospinning shares characteristics
of both electrospraying and conventional solution dry spinning of fibers.
The process does not require the use of coagulation chemistry or high
temperatures to produce solid threads from solution. This makes the
process particularly suited to the production of fibers using large and
complex molecules. Electrospinning from molten precursors is also
practiced; this method ensures that no solvent can be carried over
into the final product.
3-DIY: Printing your own Bioprinter. Researchers have developed a
low-cost 3-D bioprinter by modifying a standard desktop 3-D printer,
and they have released the breakthrough designs as open source so that
anyone can build their own system.
Researchers develop 3D printed objects that can track and store how they
are used. Engineers have developed 3D printed devices that can track
and store their own use -- without using batteries or electronics.
Instead, this system uses a method called backscatter, through which a
device can share information by reflecting signals that have been
transmitted to it with an antenna.
Researchers 3D print key components for a point-of-care mass spectrometer.
The low-cost hardware outperforms state-of-the-art versions and could
someday enable an affordable, in-home device for health monitoring.
Backscatter is the reflection of waves, particles, or signals back to
the direction from which they came. It is a diffuse reflection due to
scattering, as opposed to specular reflection as from a mirror.
Backscattering has important applications in astronomy, photography,
and medical ultrasonography. The opposite effect is forward scatter, e.g.
when a translucent material like a cloud diffuses sunlight, giving
soft light.
Bio-Mimicry -
3D Printed Braces
Custom implants on demand? Bandages for the heart? 3D printing method
makes it possible. Scientists have developed a new way to 3D print
materials strong enough to support human tissue. A team has developed a
new way to 3D print material that is at once elastic enough to withstand a
heart's persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load
placed on joints, and easily shapable to fit a patient's unique defects.
3D Printed Drugs
-
Print your own Medicine (video)
Scientists get soft on 3D printing. New method could jump-start
creation of tiny medical devices for the body. Researchers at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new method
of 3D-printing gels and other soft materials. Published in a new paper, it
has the potential to create complex structures with nanometer-scale
precision. Because many gels are compatible with living cells, the new
method could jump-start the production of soft tiny medical devices such
as drug delivery systems or flexible electrodes that can be inserted into
the human body.
3-D Print Electronics and Cells Printed directly on Skin. Print
temporary sensors on the body to detect chemical or biological agents or
solar cells to charge essential electronics. To remove the electronics,
the person can simply peel off the electronic device with tweezers or wash
it off with water.
Scientists bioprint tissue-like constructs capable of controlled, complex
shape change. 4D constructs have the potential to mimic how tissues
change shape in the body. New cell-laden bioink, comprised of
tightly-packed, flake-shaped microgels and living cells, the production of
cell-rich 4D bioconstructs that can change shape under physiological
conditions. Where standard 3D printing uses a digital blueprint to
manufacture an object out of materials like plastic or resin, 3D
bioprinting manufactures biological parts and tissues out of living cells,
or bioinks. A fourth dimension -- shape transformation over time -- can be
achieved by incorporating materials that enable printed constructs to
morph multiple times in a preprogrammed or on-demand manner in response to
external signals.
Major step forward in biofabricating an artificial heart, fit for a human.
By recreating the helical structure of heart muscles, researchers improve
understanding of how the heart beats. Bioengineers have developed the
first biohybrid model of human ventricles with helically aligned beating
cardiac cells, and have shown that muscle alignment does, in fact,
dramatically increases how much blood the ventricle can pump with each
contraction. Heart disease -- the leading cause of death in the U.S. -- is
so deadly in part because the heart, unlike other organs, cannot repair
itself after injury. That is why tissue engineering, ultimately including
the wholesale fabrication of an entire human heart for transplant, is so
important for the future of cardiac medicine.
Guns 3D Printed
3D Printed
Firearms or 3D printed
Guns are
plastic, but they still have metal parts. Metal screws or bullets sitting
inside a much thicker steel shell are needed to absorb the majority of the
force. So an effectively used
Metal Detector might still work, but a pat down or hand search might
be necessary, just
Don't touch my
junk. This is why educating people and informing the public is so
extremely important, because
ignorant people will
always be
vulnerable to
doing
ignorant things with
technology.
Frisking
is a search of a person's outer clothing wherein a person runs his or her
hands along the outer garments to detect any concealed weapons.
Strip
Search is a practice of searching a person for weapons or other
contraband suspected of being hidden on their body or inside their
clothing, and not found by performing a frisk search, by requiring the
person to remove some or all of his or her clothing.
TSA Rules.
Improvised Firearm is a firearm manufactured other than by a firearms
manufacturer or a gunsmith, and is typically constructed by adapting
existing materials to the purpose.
Untraceable
Firearms or
Ghost
Gun is a firearm without serial numbers. By making the gun themselves
or buying guns privately or second hand, owners may legally bypass
background checks and registration regulations, the same way
Arms Trafficking,
Small Arms Trade and the
Gun Show Loophole, which refers to the sale of firearms by private
sellers, including those done at gun shows, that are exempt from federal
background check requirements. This is dubbed the private sale exemption
or "secondary market".
Gun Control.
3D Printing Resources
Sustainable 3D Printer Filament
Objet
Materialise
Replicat
Makerbot
Mcor Technologies
Shapeways
Sculpteo
D-Shape
Hubs Custom Parts
Big Rep Large Format 3D Printing.
Custom 3D
Printing
Plastic Filament Maker
Rapide Desktop 3D Printer
3D Micro Printer
The MOD-t 3D Printer for Everyone
101Hero: The World's Most Affordable 3D Printer
Yeehaw 3D Printer for creative Kids - only $249
RoVa4D Full Color Blender FDM 3D Printer
3D Smartphone Controlled Game
Rapide Lite High Resolution 3D Printer
Continuous Liquid Interface Production
3D Printing by Hand
3D Design Studio
3D Simo
Maker Arm
Thingiverse 3D Modeling Program.
Makezine platform for connecting Makers.
Digital Habits
interactive products.
Warick Manufacturing
group 3D Printing
Polymaker
3D Phacktory
3D Printing the next generation of Batteries. The internal geometry
that produced the best porous
electrodes
through additive manufacturing was what's known as an
interdigitated geometry -- metal prongs
interlocked like the fingers of two clasped hands, with the lithium
shuttling between the two sides.
PancakeBot is the World's First Pancake Printer. The PancakeBot is the
world’s first 3D food printer capable of printing pancakes by
automatically dispensing batter directly onto a griddle in a design of the
user’s choosing. Designs for printing can be created with the free easy to
use downloadable software and then loaded to the PancakeBot 2.0 via and
included SD card. Representing an evolution in food-printing technology,
PancakeBot 2.0 lets kids and adults express their creativity through food while exploring technology.
3-D Printed Food.
Humans have been making their own stuff for thousands of years, so the
makers movement is nothing new. The only thing that's new is the
technology and our time in history. Starting in the 20th century, people
got use to everything being made for them. And
education got dumbed down
to create factory workers. But then American corporations
exploited cheap
labor over seas that drastically reduced the number of jobs that were
available. But the worst part was that education is still dumbed down, and
millions of jobs are still being shipped to other countries to exploit a
low paying labor force. Now
machines and automation are increasing, and
still education is being dumbed down. Technology has made people realize
that they can make their own stuff. But the question is, should people be
making their own stuff? Do they need to? And what are the options and
choices that might be more
productive, efficient and effective and less
wasteful? But people are still undereducated. So it's almost impossible
for anyone to accurately calculate the actual cost of their actions. 99
percent of people still have no idea of all the
cause and effects that
happen whenever they do something. Even when people do nothing, they still
have no idea of the cause and effects of doing nothing. But we are making
some progress. Technology is being democratized, but the most important
thing is that
knowledge and information
also needs to be democratized. That's because only highly educated
people can fully utilize technology without waste or abuse, as we can
clearly see today. We need to improve education by 1,000 percent so that
people fully understand themselves and the world around them.
We want
people to be independent and be able to survive on their own, but the most
important thing is, people need to know how to
work together to maximize
our efforts, without wasting time, energy and resources. So mass
production can still work really well if done right. It's great to make
your own stuff and be independent, but everyone knows that we live on a
planet with billions of other humans. So we need to understand this fact
as well. Being highly educated and skilled would have to include being
able to work together and fully utilize our strength in numbers. When
everyone becomes an expert and a professional and becomes highly educated,
then we will have have a much better world. Now put that in your 3D
printer, and let's start going. Live, Learn ,Love and Progress, and then
after that, maybe print something useful and see what happens, you never know, or do you?