Category: 3D Printer

Accelerate design cycles. Lower development costs. Reduce waste.

No matter how hard you try to get the design right on the first try in your CAD software, isn’t there always something that you only notice as soon as the object jumps from your 2D screen to your 3D space?

This used to happen to me all the time. I thought I had thought of everything…only to have to head right back to the drawing board after seeing the prototype. 

This still happens to me all the time, only now I can catch these mistakes in a few seconds and fix them without wasting any time or money on making a physical prototype. With augmented reality (AR), I’ve been able to find completely new meaning in the phrase “rapid prototyping”.

Many people use 3D-printing to create these “looks like” prototypes. There is certainly something to be said for holding it in your hands. Then what? The trash? At least there are a few cool companies like re:3D who can chop up your FDM prototypes and re-extrude the plastic.

But what if you didn’t need to make anything at all? Today there are about 4 billion mobile devices on the planet that natively support augmented reality. If you are reading this and you have bought a smartphone or tablet in the last decade – that means you!

Enter the massless prototype. While AR can’t solve all of your prototyping needs, it is a crucial tool for every designer & engineer to have access to. Here are just a few of the ways that you can use AR to accelerate your design workflow, lower your costs, and reduce your carbon footprint – all at the same time.

Continue reading… “Massless Prototyping with Augmented Reality”

By Michelle Codiva

AI SpaceFactory announced its first lunar outpost LINA designed to blend with the moon’s terrain. The outpost would keep the astronauts safe on the moon as it could protect them during moonquakes, cosmic radiation, lunar dust contamination, and cold nights.

The project is a collaboration between NASA Kennedy Space Center and AI SpaceFactory. It is part of NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO).

ACO aims to partner with different companies for the moon and space technology mission. It has selected 17 companies that proposed relevant topics in the area of technology, such as small spacecraft technologies, sustainable power and intelligent system robotics. The total estimated resources to fund the projects cost $15.5 million.

Continue reading… “AI SpaceFactory Presents 3D Printing Lunar Outpost LINA in Collaboration with NASA”

American physicist Michio Kaku says CAPSTONE mission overcomes ‘the cost of space travel’

By Kristen Altus

American physicist and author Michio Kaku says 3D-printed rockets has lowered the cost of space exploration ten-fold.

NASA’s mission to the moon has returned – but this time, with a modern tech twist.

A 3D-printed satellite the size of a microwave oven was launched into space Tuesday, embarking on a new path around the moon in hopes of retrieving new information for future astronaut exploration.

American physicist and author Michio Kaku called the CAPSTONE CubeSat launch a “game changer” for spaceflight on “Varney & Co.” Thursday.

“Space travel has been haunted by a dirty four-letter word: cost,” Kaku told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. “It costs $10,000 to put a pound of anything into orbit around the Earth. That’s your weight in solid gold. That’s the cost of space travel.”

Continue reading… “3D-PRINTED NASA SATELLITE MARKS ‘GAME-CHANGER’ FOR SPACE EXPLORATION: MICHIO KAKU”

Revo Foods’ first whole-cut vegan salmon filet, made from algae and pea protein, will be available in stores next year.

by NICOLE AXWORTHY

Vienna-based vegan food technology company Revo Foods recently unveiled its first “ultra realistic” whole-cut plant-based salmon, which is expected to launch in stores in early 2023. The new product is made using 3D food printing technology and aims to replicate the eating experience of whole-cut fish filets without the need to harm a single fish.

While the majority of conventional fish is consumed in whole-cut filets, few alternative seafood products have been able to mimic the experience. Revo Foods’ scientific team worked for more than two years researching new process technology and ingredient compositions to develop its first whole-cut vegan salmon filet, dubbed “generation 2.0.” Unlike the products of the first generation, which were mostly made with tofu, the new whole-cut salmon uses pea protein and algae extracts, making it rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. It was developed using 3D food printing technology to create a taste and texture that mimics conventional salmon and can be prepared (fried, cooked, and steamed) just like conventional fish. The startup has already filed two patents for new technologies to produce such whole-cut vegan fish products.

Last year, Revo Foods unveiled its first 3D-printed vegan smoked salmon product during a tasting event that took place at Budapest Bagels in Vienna. Called “Salmon With Attitude,” the product looked just like real smoked salmon and was also developed using 3D food printing to recreate the texture and appearance of seafood. Similarly, ingredients such as pea protein, algae extracts, and dietary fibers are combined to create a base that is high in protein, omega 3, and B12. Revo showcased its revolutionary vegan fish in a creamy smoked salmon spread. These first products are already available in 16 European countries, including supermarkets in Austria and Germany.

Continue reading… “REVO FOODS’ FIRST 3D-PRINTED VEGAN SALMON FILETS WILL LAUNCH IN STORES IN 2023”

 A lung-mimicking air sac that was 3d printed in water-based gel.

By Davide Sher

United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation working in partnership with 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE: DDD) has produced the world’s most complex 3D printed object – a human lung scaffold – and demonstrated it at the LIFE ITSELF Conference in San Diego. The event was organized and hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Marc Hodosh and was sponsored by CNN, United Therapeutics, and other prominent corporate leaders in healthcare.

Dr. Martine Rothblatt, United Therapeutics’ Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer and Chuck Hull, 3D Systems’ Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, and Chief Technology Officer for Regenerative Medicine, explained to conference attendees during a presentation entitled What’s the Future of Organ Transplantation? that these 3D printed human lung scaffolds designs consisted of a record 44 trillion voxels that layout 4,000 kilometers of pulmonary capillaries and 200 million alveoli.

Scientists at United Therapeutics plan to cellularize these 3D printed human lung scaffolds with a patient’s own stem cells to create tolerable, transplantable human lungs that should not require immunosuppression to prevent rejection. This latest achievement represents the latest milestone of an ongoing research project that was first made public in 2018.

“Last week, it was exciting to show the public our 3D printed human lung scaffold, but we’re thrilled to share that our 3D printed lung scaffolds are now demonstrating gas exchange in animal models. We are regularly printing lung scaffolds as accurately as driving across the United States and not deviating from a course by more than the width of a human hair,” said Dr. Rothblatt. “With the continued hard work of dedicated scientists and engineers at United Therapeutics and 3D Systems, we hope to have these personalized, manufactured lungs cleared for human trials in under five years.”

Continue reading… “United Therapeutics unveils advanced 3D printed human lung scaffolds”

3D printing on the Moon: Scientists from the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) and the Technische Universitat Berlin (TU Berlin) are planning a flight to the Moon to melt lunar dust with laser beams.

In the MOONRISE project, the research team wants to explore the question of how we can use lasers to build landing sites, roads or buildings out of lunar dust in the future. To do this, the researchers want to bring a laser system to the lunar surface and melt the lunar dust, a material that is available everywhere on the Moon.

Artificial intelligence will support the laser process. The goal is to demonstrate that laser melting works on the Moon – and, in perspective, can be used to produce 3D-printed infrastructure for a lunar base.

From both a scientific and an economic perspective, our terrestrial satellite is a coveted target. Billionaires are not the only ones who want to fly well-paying guests around the Moon; the European Space Agency (ESA) also has plans for a “Moon Village”. The Moon’s dark backside would be suitable for powerful space telescopes.

In addition, the lower gravity and lack of an atmosphere make the Moon an ideal stopover for setting up missions to more distant destinations in space. But how will launch pads, landing sites and buildings be constructed on the lunar surface? “At a cost of up to a million dollars per kilogram, a complete transport of the material from Earth to the Moon would be extremely expensive”, explains Jorg Neumann, MOONRISE project manager at LZH.

Continue reading… “MOONRISE: LZH and TU Berlin bring 3D printing to the Moon with laser and AI”

By Tony Ho Tran

A swarm of tiny robots might just save your life one day—or at least that’s the idea with a new type of tiny robot that can be 3D printed all at once.

In a new study published in Science today, a team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles developed a new 3D printing method that can create working robots made from metamaterials (synthetic materials from elements not found in nature). The resulting machines, which the scientists have dubbed ‘meta-bots,’ are capable of moving, sensing, and navigating terrain all on their own.

The meta-bots are each roughly the size of a fingernail. The team believes that it has the potential for a number of different applications including exploring hazardous environments like collapsed buildings or other areas with rubble to aid in rescue efforts. They could even be built in smaller sizes to assist in medical procedures by delivering drug doses to specific sites in the body.

“We envision that this design and printing methodology of smart robotic materials will help realize a class of autonomous materials that could replace the current complex assembly process for making a robot,” Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng, a UCLA engineer and the study’s lead author, said in a press release.

Continue reading… “New 3D Printing Tech Spits Out Whole Robots All at Once”

Israel’s Nano Dimension uses an inkjet process to print living human tissue in 3D. Next step, a printed liver or heart?

It’s the stuff of science fiction: technology that can print a human organ. But the first step towards turning big-screen fantasy into everyday reality has been taken by Israel’s Nano Dimension,  which makes 3D printers.

Through a collaboration with another Israeli company, biotechnology firm Accellta of Haifa, Nano Dimension has been able to mix human stem cells into its 3D printer ink. When expelled through the more than 1,000 tiny nozzles of a Nano Dimension DragonFly 3D printer, the ink can form into human tissue.

While the technology is still at the proof-of-concept stage – and going from simple tissue to a full organ is a daunting and uncharted process – the possibilities for saving lives by “printing” a new liver or lung are staggering.

Continue reading… “Nanotech breakthrough prints human tissue from stem cells”

Above: International Space Station/Image Source: European Space Agency

Airbus, a European multinational aerospace corporation, is preparing to send a metal 3D printer to the International Space Station as early as next year, as the first step in its plans to establish an orbital satellite factory.

Metal3D printers can work with metals that melt at temperatures of up to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius). The company was overjoyed to announce that its printer will be the first metal 3D printer on the space station, allowing astronauts to print parts like radiation shields and various tools.

Future versions of the 3D printer, according to the company, will be able to create objects out of lunar soil and recycle parts from decommissioned satellites onboard an orbital satellite factory.

Continue reading… “Airbus is sending Metal 3D Printer to International Space Station; Plans to set up an Orbital Satellite Factory”

A ferrite inductor comprises a magnetic core surrounded by a copper coil. Image via Jurgis Mankauskas.

By KUBI SERTOGLU

Researchers from the Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian University of Life Sciences are investigating the use of 3D printing technology to produce soft magnetic cores.

Magnetic cores are pieces of magnetic material with high permeability. They’re commonly used to guide and direct magnetic fields in a wide variety of electrical systems and machines, including electromagnets, transformers, electric motors, generators, inductors, and other magnetic assemblies.

Until now, the 3D printing of soft magnetic cores has been a major challenge due to difficulties in preserving core efficiency. The research team has now proposed a comprehensive laser-based additive manufacturing workflow that they claim can yield superior magnetic properties to soft magnetic composites.

Continue reading… “RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW METHOD OF 3D PRINTING MAGNETIC CORES FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES”

By HAYLEY EVERETT

Regenerative medicine company 3DBio Therapeutics and the Microtia-Congenital Ear Deformity Institute have successfully completed a human ear reconstruction using the former’s novel 3D printed AuriNovo living tissue implant for the first time.

The first-in-human Phase 1/2a clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of AuriNovo for patients with microtia, a rare congenital deformity where one or both outer ears are absent or underdeveloped. 3DBio’s patient-specific living tissue implant was developed using 3D bioprinting technology to provide a viable treatment alternative to rib cartilage grafts and traditionally-used synthetic materials.

“As a physician who has treated thousands of children with microtia from across the country and around the world, I am inspired by what this technology may mean for microtia patients and their families,” said Arturo Bonilla, a leading pediatric ear reconstructive surgeon who performed the procedure. “This study will allow us to investigate the safety and aesthetic properties of this new procedure for ear reconstruction using the patient’s own cartilage cells.

“MY HOPE IS THAT AURINOVO WILL ONE DAY BECOME THE STANDARD-OF-CARE REPLACING THE CURRENT SURGICAL METHODS FOR EAR RECONSTRUCTION REQUIRING THE HARVESTING OF RIB CARTILAGE OR THE USE OF POROUS POLYETHYLENE (PPE) IMPLANTS.”

Continue reading… “3DBIO CONDUCTS SUCCESSFUL HUMAN EAR RECONSTRUCTION WITH 3D BIOPRINTED AURINOVO IMPLANT”

Scientists have made a medical breakthrough using 3D-printed technology.

Doctors at a New York City-based biotech company called 3D Bio Theraputics said they have successfully implanted a 3D-printed ear onto a human patient that was made out of the patient’s own tissue.

According to them, this technology could change the lives of people with ears that are improperly formed.

“Microsia patients have very limited options and, for decades, have been hoping for a solution that delivers them natural, living tissue from their own cells, matching their other ears,” said CEO and founder Dr. Daniel Cohen.

Continue reading… “‘Hope for a better solution’: Scientists make medical breakthrough using 3D-printed technology”