Category: 3D Printer

By Brittany Chang

A 3D printing home construction company will build 200 3D-printed homes in southwest Virginia.

Project Virginia will take up to five years to complete and will span six to seven communities.

Alquist’s CEO believes more homes will be 3D printed than built “traditionally” by 2027.

A schematic of the ORNL ‘SkyBAAM’ 3D printing system. Image via FedInvent. 

By HAYLEY EVERETT

A new project on the Tibetan plateau is aiming to build a hydroelectric dam by means of artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing in just two years.

According to reports, the dam will be constructed entirely by AI-powered robots which will act as a giant 3D printer to build the 180-meter structure layer by layer. 

While details of the exact additive manufacturing process used for the project are scarce, scientists involved in the project said the technology had matured enough for mass “large, filled infrastructure” applications.

Above: ExOne S-Max® Flex is an affordable and easy-to-use robotic additive manufacturing system/Image Source: Desktop Metal

Desktop Metal, a leader in mass production and turnkey additive manufacturing solutions, announced the launch of ExOne S-Max Flex, a scalable, large-format binder jetting system for sand 3D printing used by foundries to quickly cast complex metal designs for the aerospace, automotive, and energy industries, among others.

ExOne (now a part of Desktop Metal) is the leading provider of digital sand printing solutions for foundries. The new S-Max Flex combines ExOne’s sand printing expertise in process and materials with proprietary Desktop Metal SPJ technology in an affordable architecture to bring new value to foundries that have long desired an S-Max but have found the premium price out of reach.

By Bharat Sharma

Scientists from Canada have successfully 3D printed male reproductive cells. Yes, you read that right! 3D-printed sperm is here!

In hopes of replicating what we see in the human body, scientists from the University of British Columbia are printing sperm. Led by Ryan Flannigan, a urology assistant professor, the team used a 3D printer to create “viable testicular cells” and later identified early signs of “sperm-producing capabilities,” Global News reported.

A rendering of a mocked-up Metal3D system being used by astronauts.

By PAUL HANAPHY 

French industrial 3D printer manufacturer AddUp has revealed that a new system it has been helping develop is set to be launched into orbit for testing onboard the International Space Station (ISS). 

Working as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) ‘Metal3D’ project, AddUp has built the internal structure and mechanisms of a machine, designed specifically to 3D print metal parts in space. As opposed to regular powder bed-based systems, the demonstrator is said to process wire feedstock affixed to its frame, stopping it floating away, and allowing the unit to operate in microgravity conditions.

X-Bow testing one of its solid fuel rocket engines. Photo via X-Bow.

By KUBI SERTOGLU

X-Bow Launch Systems, a space technology 3D printing company, has exited stealth mode this week.

Originally founded in 2016, the New Mexico-headquartered startup specializes in the development of 3D printed solid fuels and rocket motors and has already created a lineup of small launch vehicles suitable for both orbital and suborbital launches.

Having already secured several contracts with U.S. government organizations, X-Bow’s existing customers include the Air Force Research Lab, AFWERX, Los Alamos National Lab, Sandia National Lab, and the Defense Research Projects Agency(DARPA).

Jason Hundley, CEO of X-Bow, said, “X-Bow is leveraging a unique combination of technologies with an improved manufacturing model to serve existing aerospace markets and enable new ones. Our breakthrough 3D printing technology is positioned to rapidly innovate the solid propulsion and energetics markets just as SpaceX revolutionized the launch market. Our mission is to modernize solid motor production through additive manufacturing while dramatically improving unit economics.”

IT TOOK SERENDIX JUST 23 HOURS AND 12 MINUTES TO COMPLETE THE 3D-PRINTED HOUSE

Serendix has completed japan’s first 3D-printed house is just 23 hours and 12 minutes. the japanese company first unveiled the sphere — a 3D-printed home design — in earlier 2021, stating it could be constructed in a day for under 3 million yen (approx. $25.500 USD). a year later, the company has met its goal.

‘the skeleton weighed about 20 tons, and its assembly was completed in 3 hours,’ said the official release. ‘housing construction such as waterproofing and openings was completed in just 23 hours and 12 minutes. as a result, we achieved the development goal of serendix, which was to create a house in 24 hours.’

Artist’s impression of a hypersonic plane.

Ultra-efficient 3D printed catalysts could help solve the challenge of overheating in hypersonic aircraft and offer a revolutionary solution to thermal management across countless industries.

Developed by researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the highly versatile catalysts are cost-effective to make and simple to scale.

The team’s lab demonstrations show the 3D printed catalysts could potentially be used to power hypersonic flight while simultaneously cooling the system.

The research is published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Chemical Communications.

Lead researcher Dr. Selvakannan Periasamy said their work tackled one of the biggest challenges in the development of hypersonic aircraft: controlling the incredible heat that builds up when planes fly at more than five times the speed of sound.

“Our lab tests show the 3D printed catalysts we’ve developed have great promise for fuelling the future of hypersonic flight,” Periasamy said.

“Powerful and efficient, they offer an exciting potential solution for thermal management in aviation — and beyond.

A specialised computer-aided design software enables the surgeons to create a customised prosthesis unique to each patient.

SYDNEY (XINHUA) – Two Australian orthopaedic surgeons have developed a 3D-printing technique to create high-tech ankle replacements.

Dr Tim O’Carrigan and Dr Mustafa Alttahir from the Limb Reconstruction Centre at the Macquarie University said their process provided “life-altering” joint replacements for patients who had suffered traumatic injuries, amputations, deformities, or arthritis.

Their breakthrough is achieved using specialised computer-aided design software which enables the surgeons to create a customised prosthesis unique to each patient.

In contrast, the traditional surgical treatment is ankle fusion, which involves removing the remaining joint cartilage and inserting screws between the bones, so the bones ultimately grow together.

CONCRETE HAS A HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. USING RECYCLED GLASS COULD HELP CURB THIS.

BY SEYED GHAFFAR MEHDI CHOUGAN AND PAWEL SIKORA 

3D printed concrete may lead to a shift in architecture and construction. Because it can be used to produce new shapes and forms that current technologies struggle with, it may change the centuries-old processes and procedures that are still used to construct buildings, resulting in lower costs and saved time.

However, concrete has a significant environmental impact. Vast quantities of natural sand are currently used to meet the world’s insatiable appetite for concrete, at great cost to the environment. In general, the construction industry struggles with sustainability. It creates around 35% of all landfill waste globally.

Our new research suggests a way to curb this impact. We have trialled using recycled glass as a component of concrete for 3D printing.

Concrete is made of a mix of cement, water, and aggregates such as sand. We trialled replacing up to 100% of the aggregate in the mix with glass. Simply put, glass is produced from sand, is easy to recycle, and can be used to make concrete without any complex processing.ADVERTISEMENT

Demand from the construction industry could also help ensure glass is recycled. In 2018 in the U.S. only a quarter of glass was recycled, with more than half going to landfill.

House Zero is a collaboration between Icon and prestigious US architecture firm Lake/FlatoCasey Dunn

By Adam Williams

A lot of 3D-printed architecture is focused on creating relatively simple and utilitarian structures that look functional but show little thought paid to aesthetics. However, leading 3D printing firm Icon has joined forces with prestigious studio Lake|Flato to create what they hope will become a new genre of homes that combine the benefits of 3D printing technology with the design chops of high-profile firms.

Originally unveiled back in 2021, House Zero is located in Austin, Texas, and features a modernist ranch style that’s not too dissimilar from Lake|Flato’s previous output. The interior decor is a mixture of 3D-printed curved walls, plus glass, and wood. 

It measures roughly 2,000 sq ft (185 sq m), spread over one floor and includes three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, as well as a kitchen and central living room. Windows and doors have been carefully situated to frame choice views and maximize natural light inside. Additionally, adjacent to the main house is a smaller accessory dwelling unit that has another bedroom and bathroom.

“While the organic nature of the 3D-printed concrete and curved walls are new design languages for us, House Zero was still entirely in line with the natural connections we seek in our architecture,” said Ashley Heeren, associate at Lake|Flato. “The home expresses our shared passions for craft and performance in an inviting and comfortable family home constructed through a totally new way of building. It’s been a thrill for our team to work with Icon on such an innovative home design and be a part of the future of homebuilding.”